“This is perhaps the saddest day of my life,” Fil said just before he headed to Cooper Parade Field to say goodbye to his troops. “On a day we should be celebrating, I feel this deep sense of regret of having to leave this unit that I am just madly in love with.”
Fil, who just returned with the division from Iraq, relinquished his command to Gen. Charles C. Campbell, commander of U.S. Army Forces, during a special ceremony.
Fil will serve as the commanding general of combined U.S. and U.N. forces in the Republic of South Korea.
The 1st Cav Division will be led by Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, who will serve as interim commanding general until a replacement for Fil is named.
While Campbell had high praise for Fil, referring to him as a commander of vision, determination and courage, Fil heaped praise on the men and women he served with in combat.
“I see the love and support for what has been for me, the privilege of a lifetime. The opportunity to lead the men and women of the 1st Cavalry Division,” Fil said. “I must say that it is very, very hard to leave. In fact, it hasn’t even sunk in yet.”
As Fil’s words echoed across Cooper Field, an estimated 10,000 troops locked on to his every word.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to have been part of the history of this awesome division, which I so deeply love,” he said. “This right shoulder patch is a proud reminder of our past challenges and accomplishments.”
Before the ceremony, the mood was slightly light–hearted as Fil joked with staff and media about riding a horse, something paramount to being a cavalry soldier in years gone by.
“If I fall off the horse, please just let me lay there,” he said as his wife, Wendy, and their daughters, Mary Margaret and Rebecca, listened.
Fil didn’t fall.
He sat tall in the saddle and led a final raucous charge across Cooper Field, accompanied by members of the division’s horse detachment.
He turned his mount, mere yards from an ancient UH–1 Huey, and trotted to the center of the field where he handed over his reins.
nbkirk@temple-telegram.com
