2/121 Soldiers Honored
At Wild Adventures Theme Park

By Spc. Curtis Porter III
124th MPAD

Members of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry returned from duty in Iraq in April and were honored in June at the Wild Adventures Theme Park near Valdosta. On hand to welcome them home were officials from the city of Valdosta and an organization of businessmen from the area called the Best Buddies Club.

The Best Buddies is a non-profit organization which adopted Alpha Company prior to their deployment to Iraq last year. As part of a welcome home celebration Best Buddies purchased tickets to Wild Adventures for the entire company and their family members.

Mike Bennett, president of the organization, said, “Our organization was formed by businessmen from Valdosta and the surrounding area to raise funds for people in need.”

Bennett said the Best Buddies helped raise about $40,000 dollars for needy families during the unit’s deployment.

Saturday at Wild Adventures local dignitaries included County Commissioner G. Robert Carter and a representative from the City of Valdosta’s Mayor’s Office, Jessica Culpepper, who made the actual presentation.

Alpha Company commander, Cpt. Marc Belscamper, of Savannah and 1^st Sgt., Joe Jimmersen, of Albany received the award for their soldiers.

“My men and I want to thank the City of Valdosta and the surrounding area for their support during our deployment,” Belscamper said. “We all felt a little better knowing that our families were being looked after in our absence.”

For now Alpha Company will continue to heal and to begin retraining for the next mission when it comes. While the transition from civilian to full-time soldier is never easy they have seen the elephant and had their baptism under fire. For the men the flame of desire to serve still burns strongly in their hearts and minds.