IRAQ: From Mississippi to Mesopotamia

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Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond, who took command of U.S. troops in the capital and surrounding areas just a few weeks ago, likes to remind people that he is a simple guy from Hattiesburg, Miss., despite the complex job he has. That was clear in his opening statements to journalists invited to meet him last week over a lunch of roast chicken, potato salad, cole slaw and other traditional American fare.

‘My No. 1 most important title that I have in my life is ‘Daddy.’ That outranks any other title such as major general. It gives you a perspective into what’s important in my life,’ said Hammond, who has a 10th and an 11-grader back home and is on his fourth deployment.

With Army deployments now extended to 15 months, Hammond noted that things are not easy for those on the road, or those left behind. ‘Our families are equally as deployed back home. The challenges that go with raising a family in the absence of a key element of that family for 15 months is something most of us never really realize,’ he said.

But many in the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, which Hammond commands, are being forced to confront the difficulty as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan stretch the military’s resources. According to Hammond:

12,747 of his soldiers are on their first deployment; 10,016 are on their second; 5,016 are on their third; and 2,247 are on their fourth. Since the division deployed late last year, 860 babies have been born to soldiers’ families back home.

— Tina Susman in Baghdad