quote:

---

Capt. Chris Carter stood on an Iraqi soccer field as the sun peeked over the horizon Friday morning and prepared himself to hand over command of the infantry company he led into combat.

He recalled how his men battled for control of a bridge over the Euphrates, fought a suicide squad along an irrigation canal and helped capture Baghdad.

"Y'all are the highest quality of men out there ... with all of my heart, I want to thank you," Carter told A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, code-named Attack. "I'm leaving, but it don't feel right. Just know that I'll be there when you come off of the plane back home."

A dozen senior officers and colleagues looked on from bleachers as the flag of the 120-man company was handed to the new commander, Capt. Mark Miller. Carter returns to Fort Stewart, Ga., where he will train reservists.

"It's weird to be going from being an infantry company commander in combat -- the greatest responsibility an infantryman can have -- to being responsible only for myself," Carter said. "It's the greatest letdown in the world."

Carter's ceremony with Attack Company has been repeated dozens of times across Iraq in recent weeks as the 3rd Infantry Division rotates officers. Within the division's 2nd Brigade, almost every commanding officer at every level will have been replaced by the end of the month.

Summer is normally change-of-command season -- allowing officers with families to move on to their next assignment without disrupting their children's school year.

Carter, of Watkinsville, Ga., was Attack Company's commander for 18 months, a little longer than average because of the war. While two of his men were seriously wounded, all survived.

Staff Sgt. Bryce Ivings of Sarasota, Fla., spent the war as Carter's gunner and headquarters' platoon sergeant and said Carter's departure takes an emotional toll.

"You work side-by-side with the greatest infantry commander you could have, so obviously, you're going to miss him," Ivings said.

Miller and other officers agree it is better for them to take command now, rather than waiting to return to Fort Stewart. The time in Iraq helps them form their own bonds with the soldiers.

"I'm excited, but its also a sigh of relief," said Miller, of Timpson, Texas, who waited 2 1/2 years for his turn to command an infantry company. "Feels great today, but I'll probably be cussing myself tomorrow."

---

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. . . . . .
They've experienced pain and bought jewelry."