Posted on 03/21/2008 12:06:44 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Twenty members of the Madison-based Army National Guard's public affairs detachment are ready for a second tour of active duty since the start of the Iraq war five years ago.
This time, the 112th Mobile Public Affairs detachment will spend a year at the military prison base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the primary purpose of showing the world that things at the prison are not the same as what was portrayed years ago when there was an international uproar over American treatment of prisoners held there.
Commander Rick Morehouse said the group's goal is to portray the camp in its current state.
"The media of the world and families need to know what's going on right now, not what happened six or seven years ago," he said. "The prisoners are being treated very well."
They are going there to "get the current image out," Morehouse said.
"The prisoners get three meals a day from the same kitchen that prepares food for the soldiers," Morehouse said. "Prisoners can take part in organized sports and have unimpeded religious observances."
The media group includes photographers and broadcast and print journalists who will maintain relations with the media of the world at Guantanamo, produce newspapers for camp personnel and escort visiting journalists.
"While it's not combat duty, it's still difficult on the soldiers and their families, some of whom are deploying for a second time," Morehouse said.
One military journalist going on tour is Sgt. Brian Jopek, who is leaving behind three school-aged children and has the distinction of likely being one of the only service members in the state to have lost a son in Iraq.
Sgt. Ryan Jopek, 20, of Merrill, was killed Aug. 2, 2006, by a roadside bomb near Tikrit.
His daughter is taking the deployment particularly hard.
"This building is her least favorite place on the face of the Earth," Jopek said, of the National Guard headquarters at Truax Field at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison.
Until this deployment, Brian Jopek has been working for the 1158th Transportation Company of the National Guard, based in Black River Falls.
"This deployment will be far more difficult than the last," he said. Jopek's previous deployment was to Mosul, Iraq, in 2003.
According to Morehouse, this deployment does have some advantages for troops, by allowing them to stay in touch with their families.
"Guantanamo Bay is close to Florida, so the National Guard will help arrange meetings of the troops with families in spots such as Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.," he said.
"As opposed to the old days when telephones were the only way to contact family members, troops now keep almost daily contact with the Internet and can also tap the services of family support groups."
The 112th will leave on Monday for training at Ft. Lewis, Wash., before heading to Guantanamo Bay in early April.
“for the primary purpose of showing the world that things at the prison are not the same as what was portrayed years ago when there was an [orchestrated] international uproar over American treatment of prisoners held there.”
The first thing they will learn is that they are NOT prisoners.
They are UNLAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANTS.
The second thing they will learn is they are being treated the same as they had on day one, which is humanely!
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