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United States Army Stryker Brigade (5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry)
![U.S. Army 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry OK, Grove, Headstone Symbols and Meanings, U.S. Army 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry](https://www.cityofgroveok.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_node_primary_extra_wide/public/imageattachments/building/page/13581/5th_brigade_2nd_infantry.jpg?itok=Ig8EDVyF)
U.S. ARMY STRYKER BRIGADE (5TH BRIGADE, 2ND INFANTRY) - The 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Div. sidestepped tradition when it left for Afghanistan by symbolically not casing its colors for movement - anticipating its redesignation upon return. But that was only the beginning of a number of events that forced brigade leaders into agile, flexible planning sequences for a changing environment.
During their Mission Readiness Exercise at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., the last stop in preparation for combat deployment, that the brigade's mission had changed. After two years of training to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, they received orders that they were to be the first Stryker brigade to Afghanistan.
The "Strike and Destroy" brigade began operations in Kandahar Province and quickly found itself in combat against a determined, lethal enemy. Thirty-seven 5th Brigade warriors died in combat during the deployment, and 239 suffered wounds.
The Destroyer Brigade cased its colors July 22, 2010 for the first time in its three-year history, when it inactivated to become 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. In addition to witnessing its redesignation, Maj. Gen. John D. Johnson, the Corps acting commanding General, welcomed the brigade back to the installation after a yearlong deployment that saw some of the most vicious fighting required of American forces in Afghanistan.
"When future historians write about your Afghanistan experience and gain the perspective that only time allows," Johnson said, "it is likely they will recognize the surge of 2009 and 5-2's contributions as a tipping point, pivotal in Operation Enduring Freedom."
Tunnell, their first commander shared a simple wish for the legacy of the Destroyer Brigade: "What I hope the citizens of the United States will remember about us is that 5th Bde., 2nd Div., Stryker Bde. Combat Team deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom 9-11, so fitting a designation for a team conceived under the aegis of Mars," he said. "I hope they will remember that we lived up to our commitment to the American people by honorably performing our duty in combat."