The week was packed with many events and history lessons for the soldiers of the 29th Division visiting Normandy. Visiting Carentan where LTC Rob Cole lead a bayonet charge against a machine gun, seeing the beach where BG Roosevelt Jr. waved his men off Utah beach with his walking cane, and retiring the flags at the American Cemetery in Colesville-sur-Mer. Each of these stories hold an important lesson for each member in the group, lessons about how a leader must place himself in direct danger to get his men off the beach, how soldiers must adapt on the fly to adverse situations and make split second decisions, or how important it is to carry on the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
In the spirit of carrying on the legacy of what the 175th Infantry Regiment did during D-Day, SPC Reading was promoted on the same beach that those soldiers started their liberation of France 78 years earlier. SPC Reading earned his SGT rank after exemplifying the skills, dedication and discipline of an infantryman by competing and winning the Maryland and Regional Best Warrior. SGT Reading will carry on his professional ancestors legacy by always striving to be an excellent NCO and helping soldiers under him to become what is expected of a 175th soldier.