9 April, ArmyBassAnglers Pro Cody Roberson boarded a C130 Hercules enroute to Kuwait to begin the long anticipated redeployment back to his unit’s Home Station, Ft. Drum New York, home of the 10th Mountain Division and eventually back to Ft. Sam Houston, TX.
MAJ Roberson has spent the last 13 months in Baghdad, Iraq serving as the Multi National Division-South’s Division Surgeon Chief of Current Operations and Medical Civil Military Operations Officer. “My responsibilities as the Division Surgeon for Current Operations and Medical Civil Military Operations spanned 9 Provinces, 8 million people, and at one point 7 Brigade Combat Teams. To say it kept me busy tracking all the different operations and planning, coordinating and overseeing numerous MCMOs is an understatement,” stated MAJ Roberson.
In the course of 13 months the soldiers and leaders of Multi National Division-South (MND-S) have accomplished some very significant achievements. A large scale portion of these drastic improvements in security, civil capacity, reconstruction, education and employment were the direct result of all the hard work of the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division. “This is my second combat tour in Iraq, and to have had the opportunity to have been in here in 2003 in the invasion and then to come back 5 years later and see all the changes and differences in Iraqi’s ability to be self sustaining it’s just tremendous.”
Roberson, was the Commander of the 566th Area Support Medical Company, attached to the 3rd Infantry Division (MECH) during the ground invasion of Iraqi in 2003. MAJ Roberson’s company was responsible for the entire near side medical support for berm breaching operations, weapons of mass destruction contingency operations, direct support to all 4 Brigade Combat Teams, attack aviation recovery operations and later Enemy Prisoner of War/Detainee Operations. The 566th would be credited with the treatment of over 433 casualties, execute 168 air and ground evacuations and would later be the only ASMC attached to the 3rd INF DIV (MECH) to be awarded a Presidential Unit Citation.
While serving in Iraq in his second tour, MAJ Roberson also found time to continue his work in assisting Returning Heroes Home, a non-profit organization, in raising $3 million dollars to complete the construction of the Warrior & Family Support Center, based out of Ft. Sam Houston, TX.. “It has been a tremendous honor and pleasure over the past 2 /1/2 years to be a part of that project. And, as long as they will let me and ArmyBassAnlgers we’ll continue to provide support, funding and raising awareness,” said Roberson.
ArmyBassAnglers is a professional fishing team Roberson founded in early 2006 after his return from OIF 1. “I always had a dream to fish professionally, and when I came back from Iraq, I knew it was time to act on that dream. I just never knew how dramatically that dream would affect everyone nationally or how big this thing would grow. But, I know this much…it is probably one of the neatest things I’ve ever done that has touched so many. We must be doing something right.”
Roberson, after some much needed rest and time with his family will soon be back on the water competing and raising awareness for the Warrior & Family Support Center and he says you can bet, he’ll be fishing with a renewed passion and fever to win-distance makes the heart grow fonder.
For more information on Cody Roberson, ArmyBassAnglers or the Warrior and Family Support Center please visit www.armybassanglers.com.
