Col. Stephen Twitty, commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, walks the streets of Mosul, Iraq, during his 14-month tour of duty. Twitty deployed to Iraq three months after he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Photo by Spc. Bradley J. Clark.
A Soldier’s war on two fronts
Spc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
MOSUL, Iraq – Col. Stephen Twitty has conquered many challenges throughout his years of Army service, but standing up and deploying a brigade combat team in record time would not come without a heavy price. As if leading troops into the desert of Southwest Asia for 15 months of combat weren’t challenging enough, he would be faced with another war to fight, on a closer battlefield, with his life hanging in the balance.
Four days prior to the “Long Knife” Brigade’s pre-deployment rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and while getting a routine physical, a lump was found on his neck. He was immediately sent to William Beaumont Army Medical Center, where the initial physician’s fear was confirmed – Twitty was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
“On occasion, I felt tired,” said Twitty, “but I thought it was just the stress of standing up the brigade combat team, working hard to get everything ready to deploy to the National Training Center and then to Iraq.”
The biggest concern Twitty had was his family and how they would react to the situation.
Cols. Stephen Twitty, left, commander, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div., and Michael Bills, commander, 3rd Armored Cav. Regiment, inspect the status of a pool renovation project for Iraqis in the Mosul area. Twitty is preparing to redeploy to the U.S. after a 14-month tour in northern Iraq. Photo by Capt. Shawn Monien.
“The first thing I thought about was my family, particularly my two daughters, and how they would take knowing I had cancer,” said Twitty. “It has definitely brought us closer together. We’ve always been a close family, but I think we all realize, as a result of it, you never know when something tragic can happen in your family. You don’t take the word ‘love’ for granted; and every time I have the opportunity to talk to my daughters and my wife, I make sure they understand I love them very much.”
Having to undergo chemotherapy and a strict regimen of medication and treatments in order to combat the cancer, Twitty was forced to miss leading his brigade during the month-long validation exercise at NTC during August 2006.
“My wife could probably characterize it better than I can because she could look at me and tell I was struggling with the fact I was not with the brigade combat team, the men and women of which I command. I remember trying to call Command Sergeant Major (Stephan) Frennier, the (executive officer) and the (operations officer) almost daily to get an update on what was going on from my bed.”
When asked if the thought had ever crossed his mind about getting out of the military because of the challenge of the cancer, Twitty was quick to respond.
Col. Stephen Twitty, commander, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div., stands ready minutes before departing on a battlefield circulation of Mosul, Iraq, Aug. 31. Twitty is preparing to redeploy to the U.S. after a 14-month tour in northern Iraq. Photo by Staff Sgt. Paula Taylor.
“Not one time. People ask me if the thought ever crossed my mind about relinquishing brigade command and giving it up, and the first answer is nope, I’m not going to do it. I believe the impact it would have had on this brigade, heading to the National Training Center and then straight into war – it would have been bad for the brigade to quickly get a new commander in; the troops would have to go through a huge transition.”
Twitty credits his grandparents with instilling in him two qualities that would help him in facing the challenge.
“My grandparents are my heroes because they taught me discipline and always preached to me to never quit,” Twitty added.
After completing the mandated treatment, almost one year to the day after activating and less than three months after being diagnosed with cancer, Col. Stephen Twitty cased his brigade’s colors, boarded a plane, and headed for Mosul, Iraq, the second-largest city in the country, and his new home amid the most ethnically-diverse and challenging areas of Iraq.
“It’s my job to do things to support and assist the battalions where needed,” explained Twitty. “These include making sure the Iraqi government is functional and operational; engaging the sheiks to ensure we have cooperation with the tribal leaders and we’re meeting the peoples’ needs here in Iraq; engaging the political leaders to ensure the province is being governed properly; assisting in the equipping of the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army and making sure the power, the electricity, the water and the food rations are being delivered throughout the province. These are the things I hold myself responsible for, and this allows the battalion commanders and the Soldiers to focus on fighting the insurgents.”
Twitty’s diligence and determination has allowed his “Long Knife” Bde. to achieve many notable successes in Ninevah province over the last 14 months, but there is one thing that stands out as its greatest accomplishment, in his opinion.
“The training of the Iraqi security forces, the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police,” said Twitty. “That is first and foremost the most improved area. I am comfortable as we depart here that the Iraqi army and Iraqi police have the ability to fight and conduct counterinsurgency operations. They have made tremendous growth and progress during our time here.”
As his brigade’s tour in Iraq comes to an end, Twitty takes time to reflect on the past year, crediting his family and God for his personal triumphs and the Soldiers under his command as the reason the “Long Knife” Bde. has been so successful in its less than three years of existence.
“Once you give your guidance out, you have got to be able to let people take over and make it happen,” said Twitty. “My intent was not to micromanage the noncommissioned officers, the captains and the battalion commanders … It is they who need to take the credit … It’s amazing the things we’ve done and the things these noncommissioned officers and young captains, in particular, have pulled off.”
While acknowledging his battle with cancer has changed his focus a bit, he steadfastly refuses to be limited or defined by his trial with it.
“It’s definitely impacted my career in a sense that I’ve always had the military as top priority. It has taught me to take a balanced approach now – God first, then family, then the military – and I found out I can still be an effective leader in putting my priorities in that order,” he said.
(Author’s Note: Col. Stephen Twitty is scheduled to return to Fort Bliss this month following the successful 14-month combat tour of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.)