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After extension, three soldiers re-enlist

Sep-11-2006 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

By Anita Powell, Stars and Stripes

CAMP TAJI, Iraq — During his recent yearlong deployment in northern Iraq, Staff Sgt. Gilbert Romero regularly told his friends that he couldn’t wait to get out of the Army.

But when his unit’s stay in Iraq was extended by four months, Romero did something unexpected. He re-enlisted for another four years.

Romero and two of his colleagues from the Fort Wainwright, Alaska-based 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team re-enlisted Monday at Camp Taji, near Baghdad.

Joining him were staff sergeants Chris Briggs, 25, of Muskegon, Mich., and Josh Varney, 24, of Palmdale, Calif.

Romero and Varney re-enlisted for four years, with a $15,000 bonus each; Briggs committed to six years, taking a $4,000 bonus and transferring half of his college benefits to his wife, who will use the money to finish her master’s degree. Briggs and Romero, who have served seven and six years, respectively, said they planned to serve 20 years in the military. Varney, with six years under his belt, is still deciding.

The re-enlistments buck the expectation that the extension would diminish soldiers’ fervor for service.


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