Awaiting deployment, Sgt. Michael Inchausti holds his sleeping 3-month-old son Dominic inside a hangar at Fort Huachuca's Libby Army Airfield early Sunday morning. (Bill Hess-Herald/Review)
Posted on 08/21/2006 6:10:41 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — Dominic Inchausti was oblivious to the noise around him.
The sobbing, the talking and other noises echoing in Hangar 3 at Libby Army Airfield did not bother him. Dominic was sound asleep, safe in the arms of his father, Sgt. Michael Inchausti.
Dad caressed and kissed the precious bundle. It was his and his wife Sierra’s first born. Both mom and dad are from Phoenix.
Throughout the hangar similar scenes could be seen as GIs — men and women — hugged their children, their spouses and other family members.
As families gathered in groups, single soldiers talked with friends.
A trio of soldiers played dominoes.
Another GI read a book.
Two others shared a plate of food.
Some sat on the floor of the hangar, a few slept, their weapons nearby.
Noncommissioned officers kept watch over their charges.
It was all part of the waiting game, the usual military hurry up and wait.
All were waiting for the order to line up and head out to a commercial contract airplane to fly them from the high desert of Arizona to the lower desert regions of Iraq.
Nearly 140 soldiers of the 86th Signal Battalion deployed early Sunday morning for a year’s tour to provide communications support to American forces involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The second group of 160 are scheduled to leave this week. An advanced part of 30 left a few days ago.
Now on his second Iraq deployment, the Company C supply sergeant said he will miss many of Dominic’s firsts.
The first tooth.
The first word.
The first crawl.
The first step.
While the father will not see them happen in person, Sierra said she will follow Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast’s suggestion to send photos of videos of important family happenings to the deployed soldiers.
“I’m going to video everything and send them to him,” she said.
But still her husband said he wishes he would be at home, “for all the firsts.”
Fast, the commander of the Intelligence Center and the fort, told the soldiers she knew they trained hard.
The senior Signal Corps officer on the fort, Brig. Gen. Carroll Pollett, who heads the Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, was away from the post and could not speak to the soldiers, who are part of his command.
Fast said the mission the 86th is embarking on “is bigger than yourselves, and you will make a difference.”
The difference will help men and women and boys and girls in a troubled area of the world, Fast said.
Saying the 11th Signal Brigade, which the battalion is part, is providing critical communications.
Signal Corps soldiers have the important job of providing communications “to those walking on patrol or those talking to the president,” Fast said.
Brigade commander Col. John Hildebrand said the unit has a reputation to maintain, and that is to support the needs of all those who have deployed from the different Army units.
Safety is the main thing that will allow everyone to return home, he said.
“Keep your heads down and powder dry,” Hildebrand said.
The minutes ticked away.
For some the seconds seemed to be longer.
One soldier was overheard to say, “Let’s go.”
Another responded, “How much longer before we board?”
But for some the seconds seem to have gone by fast.
The call to line up came.
“Already?” one GI said.
Inchausti handed his son back to his wife, who put Dominic into his stroller.
It was then time for him to hold her.
The embrace was long, with each tightly wrapping their arms around the other’s neck.
Tears flowed from Sierra’s eyes as she sobbed heavily.
And, tears flowed from the former 1st Air Cavalryman’s eyes as he too shuddered with emotion.
The hugs and kissing stopped as he went to stand in line to walk to the plane.
Other soldiers and their spouses separated, the GIs lining up, family members leaving the hangar.
One little boy, stood on a chair, waving a small American flag until the person he was watching was no longer in sight.
For some the last part of the early morning took a long time as the line of soldiers climbed the ramp into the plane.
Soon the plane’s main cabin door was closed and the ramp pulled away.
In a short time the plane started to taxi, heading for the runway.
The cries of some family members increased, as they watched outside he hangar.
As the plane went west down the runway, its engine noise was almost drowned out by louder crying and yells of goodbye.
Like the boy did in the hangar, many waved small American flags.
Then the plane was airborne.
Some of the families stayed, keeping an eye on the aircraft as it slowly turned east, watching the strobe lights become dimmer until they could no longer be seen.
The crowd slowly left, knowing in a year a more joyous scene will play out as the soldiers return — mission accomplished.
Perhaps then Dominic will run out to his father and be gathered up into dad’s arms to be hugged and kissed.
Next time Dominic will be awake, not asleep as he was in the still dark hours of Sunday morning.
Herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day-by-day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils, which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
my dad was in the signal corps/army air corp(along with sarge mom)during ww2 and at hickam on 12/7....Is this the same group,refined as part of the US Army?
Thank you for your service to our great country! 8)
The stories you bring to FREErepublic are priceless! I enjoy them all.
Anyone who wants to help the VFW can go to www.operationuplink.org/ to see how the program works and to donate to this worthwhile cause.
Line of Sight Microwave...imop thats some powerfull stuff....2 co workers at Bell died from brain C..they both spent years up in those towers(military & telco) next to that stuff and both felt it was the cause
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