Guard Soldiers Depart for Afghanistan Tour

Defend America News ^ | Jan 12, 2005 | Sgt. Jim Greenhill

[SandRat]

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eduardo Macaraeg (standing, second from leftt) and Meriam Macaraeg (left) share a light moment with Command Sgt. Major John Gipe at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Jan. 7, 2006. Macaraeg left for a year-long tour of duty in Afghanistan with a group of soldiers from the National Guard Bureau who are scheduled to train Afghan National Army troops. The Macaraeg children (front, left and right) also attended the deployment gathering. National Guard Bureau photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Guard Soldiers Depart for Afghanistan Tour
Family members bid farewell to deploying soldiers, as the Army National Guard Family Readiness Group gears up to provide family support during the separation.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Jim Greenhill National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 12, 2006 — Clutching a U.S. flag in his right hand, 5-year-old Ethan Schlereth squinted through window at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, staring into the cockpit of the Northwest Airlines jet about to back away from the gate below. "It’s going to be a great mission, not only to train the Afghan army, but to help the Afghan people on the humanitarian side." U.S. Army Maj. Doug Schlereth The cockpit door swung open, and the light from the passenger cabin illuminated Ethan’s dad, U.S. Army Maj. Doug Schlereth, in his combat uniform, waving to his boy, perhaps the pair’s last face-to-face father-son moment for a year. The plane carried 17 Army National Guard soldiers toward Camp Shelby, Miss., for approximately 45 days of pre-deployment training before they head for Afghanistan. As the plane backed away from the gate, the families and senior Army National Guard leaders who had started gathering at 5 a.m. Jan. 7 did not leave. The deploying soldiers are all volunteers from the National Guard Bureau. The crowd of 50 people standing behind Ethan at the window on that day included U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Frank Grass, deputy director of the Army National Guard; Col. Matt Murphy, chief of staff; Col. Renwick Payne; Command Sgt. Maj. John Gipe and other senior staff members. The crowd also included many spouses, among them Carol Vaughn, wife of Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard; Pat Grass, Dee Murphy, Carmen Payne, Tony Gipe and Kathryn Haynes, wife of Chief Warrant Officer 5 Poyas Haynes, the Army Guard’s command chief warrant officer. The spouses formed the Army National Guard Family Readiness Group to support the families of deployed soldiers. “It says a lot not only to the soldiers, but the families,” said Terri Romano. She was saying goodbye to her husband, Chief Warrant Officer Tony Romano, who, with this deployment, becomes the fifth member of her immediate family to be serving overseas. “These are all part of my family,” said Murphy, the chief of staff, looking around the airport departure gate. The soldiers – including some leaders who have played key roles in the deployment of thousands of guardsmen and now are joining their fellow soldiers in the field – form an Embedded Training Team who will be teaching Afghan National Army troops. “The faster we can train, the faster we can get our boys and girls home,” said Gipe, who has spent time in Afghanistan. “I wish people could see the change that’s taken place in that army. Afghans know how to fight, but they weren’t good soldiers. You can see the pride and esprit de corps in the Afghan army now.” The Northwest Airlines crew which spontaneously arranged for Ethan Schlereth’s last-minute glimpse of his dad in the pilot’s seat was just one example of people going to extra lengths for soldiers’ families. The airline issued gate passes so that family members would have the maximum time with their soldiers. The Transportation Security Administration brought in extra screeners on a Saturday to handle the crowd. Col. Anthony Baker Sr., chief, National Guard Bureau Family Programs, coordinated the family support effort, which included arranging the passes for family members through Northwest Airlines and efforts to avoid unusually long lines by arranging	for the Transportation Security Administration to set up a separate line for families and soldiers, giving them more time to be together. “It’s the catalyst for success,” Baker said. “If soldiers don’t believe their families are being taken care of, soldiers can’t concentrate on the mission. The family is the glue to their success.” Departure can be a wrenching moment, even for a 15-year Regular Army and National Guard soldier like Maj. Troy Coronado, who joined the group from his Pentagon office. He brought his wife, Lisa, to the airport but decided to spare his three daughters the emotion of the moment. Like everyone else in the all-Guard group, Coronado volunteered. “The country’s at war, and the opportunity for me – not being in a line unit – was slim to none,” he said. “Several have been volunteering for a couple of years,” Grass said. “They’ve been begging for their chance to go.” Sgt. 1st Class Eduardo Macaraeg finds it difficult to explain the reasons to people outside the military. “They ask me why I do it,” he said, “and I tell them, ‘I’m a soldier.’ I had to do my part, that’s the main thing.” For the Schlereth family, it isn’t only his son Ethan that Schlereth will be separated from. His wife, Kimberly, is expecting the couple’s second son in February. “There have been many other soldiers that have been in that same predicament,” Schlereth said. “This is what I signed up to do. I felt that I had not been in the warfight yet, so it was my time to serve, just like everybody else. It’s going to be a great mission, not only to train the Afghan army, but to help the Afghan people on the humanitarian side.” Schlereth glanced at his wife. “It’s very difficult,” he said. “But with the support of the Army National Guard Readiness Center and my own family, I feel that she’s going to get the support that she needs.” The soldiers anticipate joining the 53rd Brigade Combat Team out of Florida and later the 41st Brigade Combat Team from Oregon. They expect some to train Afghan troops at the battalion level, some at the brigade level. Being leaders themselves, it appears that the trainers will help Afghan leaders increase their skills. When the last boarding call came, the crowd of well-wishers formed lines on both sides of the gate. They waved flags, clapped, cheered and gave hugs as each soldier walked off to war. People waiting for other flights at other gates stood still and watched. An airline official commented that he did not know anyone involved but that the sight of the departing soldiers and of the families who will wait for their return brought tears to his eyes. “It’s real now,” said Rosemary Henson. She plans to write letters and send e-mails and care packages while her husband, Maj. Ron Henson, is gone. “I’m proud,” she said. As for the family support, she said, “It’s important just to be able to talk to other people.” That sentiment was shared by Lisa Coronado. “It’s one of the only times you get to see the spouses of the other soldiers, too,” she said. Only when the jet had taxied out of sight did the group disperse. Terri Romano walked away thinking not only of the husband she had just seen onto the plane but also of the adopted son who left for Afghanistan a day earlier, of the oldest son in Iraq, of the youngest son on the Syrian border and of the son-in-law in Okinawa. As family members and Guard leaders walked back toward the airport lobby, Baker was planning ahead. “Now,” he explained, “we’ll start getting ready for them to come back."

[SandRat]

Guard Troops Headed In Harm's Way!

[CBart95]

Go with God.
Go with our grattitude,our prayers and our wishes for a successful mission.

[sageb1]

My cousin's husband, out of Ft. Drum, heads out for the same tour in a week or so. He'll be there until January '07, then he's out for good. Prayers for all that they return safely.

Sage

[SandRat]

Be sure to let the Canteen Know that so that He can be kept on the prayer list.

[mystery-ak]

My son just told me tonight that his MP unit will be leaving for Iraq in Sept.....he transfered to this unit so he could go and he didn't tell me or his Dad....

[hsalaw]

May God keep him safe, and give you strength. He and you are in my prayers with gratitude for his service and your courage.

[SandRat]

Sounds like you and your husband will become regulars over at the Freeper Canteen until he's home again. A great place to hang out and you'll get lots of support from them.

Be sure to hang your Blue-Star Mothers flag in the window.

[mystery-ak]

I have a 2 star flag.....I got it when Mike(hubby) was in Iraq....

[mystery-ak]

Thank you.....I'll need strength to get through this....when hubby was there I swear I didn't sleep for 15mos...

[hsalaw]

Friends, relatives, neighbors, churchmembers, co-employees, and don't forget FReepers - we're all here for you.

[aragorn]

My best wishes and prayers go with these guys. I was there in '03, and still have a US flag that I flew over KMTC (Kabul Military Training Center) on 9/11/2003...

I have a buddy there now on his second tour, and I may be visiting again before the year is out.

[Little Bill]

God bless you, our I&C Supervisor, Dave Bellanger's son, Marine Corps Reserve, is headed across the pond, Iraq, Marine Infantry.

The kid loves the grunts, me, I would have loved to be a clerk after my second tour.

[Calpernia]

Guard Soldiers Depart for Afghanistan Tour
Family members bid farewell to deploying soldiers, as the Army National Guard Family Readiness Group gears up to provide family support during the separation.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT