The mood at Fort Drum was upbeat as news of President Obama’s plans for more soldiers and pay raises made its way through the base.
10th Mountain Division soldier, Maurice Williams, said "when we hear that we're getting pay raises, it puts a smile on a lot of people's faces and brings up the morale."
A 2008 report by Veterans for America found that the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum was the most deployed army division to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Laurie Lund‘s husband is in the military and today’s news "makes me feel good that they're not going to be there as long."
10th mountain soldiers were encouraged by the support President Obama showed for other missions, especially Afghanistan.
"With the fight we're doing in Afghanistan, you could pull some of them out, bring them home, let them rest and then send some of us over to Afghanistan. It would really help out the mission over there a lot,” said Maurice Williams.
Some soldiers said they wished they could do more for the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Iraq but were prepared to train even harder for the other missions around the world.
