Posted on 01/13/2008 6:17:21 AM PST by SandRat
A baby's cries were the only sound that broke the hush when the soldiers of the 257th Transportation Company marched out Saturday before an overflow crowd of hundreds of relatives and friends who had come to say farewell.
For many of the more than 200 men and women who make up the Army Reserve unit, that sound will be one of the things they miss the most when they deploy, first for two months of training in Indiana, then for the Middle East.
They have deployed before, but they have become parents since that last deployment, or added new children to their families.
"I've already been over there, so that part isn't really anything, but leaving her, that's hard," said Spc. Mark Ansbro of Tucson as he played with his 1-year-old daughter, Emberlynn.
Ansbro, a state corrections officer in civilian life, and his wife bought Web cams so he can watch his daughter grow over the next year and she'll continue to recognize his face and voice.
The 257th Transportation Company specializes in driving trucks known as heavy equipment transporters, which haul vehicles and other equipment on the battlefield. The unit deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003.
The Tucson-based soldiers will be joined in Indiana by another 100 company soldiers based in Las Vegas.
They gathered with friends and family at the 1st Lt. Paul K. Allen U.S. Army Reserve Center, 1750 E. 29th St., for a mobilization ceremony Saturday.
Officials wouldn't say where the unit was headed or how long the deployment would last, both of which are standard security precautions for deploying units. Spc. Troy Lester of Glendale, a truck driver, said he's optimistic his 9-month-old daughter, Kyarra, will remember him when he returns because his now-3-year-old son, Samuel — a baby when he left for his last deployment — greeted him with open arms when he returned. But that doesn't make the separation easy. "It's rough," he said. "I'm ready. I volunteered for this mission, but it's hard to leave my family." His wife, Veronica Lester, said she'll do her best to take care of her daughter and stepson by herself.
"It's going to be hard for me because I don't have a lot of family," she said. "I'm just going to put it in prayer, pray I put my best foot forward."
Sgt. Adriana Samano of California also is anxious about leaving her 1-year-old son, Ayden Gray Smith. "The part that worries me the most is being away from him, because until now I've been with him every day," she said.
Grandchildren are whom Spc. Daryl Edmunds of Marana will miss, though the hardest part for him will be leaving his wife, Pearl.
"I'm anxious to go, but, naturally, nobody really wants to go," said Edmunds, a civil engineer in civilian life. This will be the first deployment for Pvt. Ashley Berckmann of Tucson, a student, but she already knows how hard the separation can be. Her husband deployed last May. He's due home soon, but she'll be overseas. "It's been hard, and it will be harder now," she said. "But I love to serve my country, to represent the fallen veterans who have given me my freedom."
Reservists eager to serve
Despite the pain of separation, many of the reservists said they are eager to go and perform their mission. Their employers are understanding, they said, and they have supportive families behind them.
"I'm really secure," said Spc. Tim Salomon of Tucson, a student. "I have a lot of support, and I'm confident in my fellow soldiers and in my command."
Col. Robert Olson of the 653rd Regional Support Group, which includes the 257th Transportation Company, sent the soldiers off with these words:
"Encourage each other, be safe, be proud and come back to us soon."
See more images from the deployment ceremonies at azstarnet.com/slideshows.
Contact reporter Erica Meltzer at 807-7790 or at emeltzer@azstarnet.com.
Pfc. Jennifer Ruedas gives her 6-year-old son, Alekxzander, a kiss during a deployment ceremony for the U.S. Army Reserves 257th Transportation Company. More than 200 soldiers deployed Saturday, first to Indiana for training, then overseas. Photos by Dean Knuth / arizona daily star
Families are everything.
Hooah.
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