In tribute to the great men and women who have served their country in uniform, May marks National Military Appreciation Month. We are very grateful to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen for their commitment to preserving freedom and democracy in our Nation and throughout the world.
This year we celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 10. As we salute service members past and present, it is only fitting to recognize those who support them and help make their service possible.
Across the country, loved ones have been separated as service members have been mobilized or deployed in support of the global War on Terrorism. This is a pivotal time in the history of our country and we draw strength by remembering what is at stake in this conflict makes these sacrifices necessary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost a loved one who gave that last full measure of devotion to their country during this war.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff and I join all Americans in paying tribute to the veterans and current members of our Armed Forces -- American heroes past and present -- for all they have done and all they continue to do in patriotic service to our country. We also salute our military spouses for their vital, continuing support to our men and women in uniform.
Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF
· your peers call you and "old salt" but you've never been to sea.
· you've ever searched the supply room for fallopian tubes.
· you pull out a 16-gauge needle, and some Marine passes out.
· you can do the job of any rate in the Navy; and do it better.
· sea duty consists of buildings in foreign lands out of sight of any ocean.
· you think it's against the Geneva Convention for you to have to chip paint.
· you think an "all hands working party" means everyone but you.
· you use sutures to fix your uniform.
· you use the threat of a lost shot record as a way to get your supplies first.
· you make marks on each of your hands to differentiate port from starboard.
· you think inspecting the mess deck means you get free food.
· after a sailor's third visit to sickcall in a liberty port, you no longer warm his penicillin.
MEDFORD -- "Pardee!" howled 1st Sgt. Randy Mefford, hollering to be heard above the whining idle of the 727 airliner some 100 feet behind him.
"Yes, First Sergeant!" Ben Pardee yelled in response, already moving to his rucksack. He hoisted it to his shoulder and trotted toward the rear of the plane, M-4 assault rifle dangling behind him.
"Quezada!" "Yes, First Sergeant!"
The citizen-soldiers of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, Oregon National Guard, were assembled before Mefford. It was still only 6:15 a.m. Thursday, and the sun had not yet cleared Roxy Ann, the butte to the east of Medford Airport, to bake the morning nip out of the air.
"Rawding!" "Yes, First Sergeant!"
From the back of the pack, Capt. Eric Riley, Alpha Company commander, marveled at the sight. In the past two weeks, he had seen his troops go from college students, police officers and medical technicians to full-time soldiers heading into possible danger. Riley himself is a wildlife biologist who lives in Roseburg and works in the Umpqua National Forest.
Under normal circumstances. "It's amazing watching this," he said. "It's amazing what we ask them to do, leaving home for this mission. These are my fellas. I love them all."
Alpha Company was on the first of three planes that took 529 soldiers of 1st Battalion on the first leg of its journey to the biggest Oregon National Guard infantry deployment since World War II.
Come mid-July, the unit will assume duty with the Multinational Force and Observers , a United Nations peacekeeping force that monitors the Sinai Peninsula to ensure peace between Egypt and Israel. The concept was born of the 1978 Camp David accords, the treaty between the two warring countries.
The Oregon National Guard troops, only the second Guard unit to do this since the first forces occupied the Sinai in 1981, won't be back until late January. The first stop Thursday was Fort Carson, Colo., at which they will train for the duty for two months.
After that, the Oregonians will relieve 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry of the Arkansas National Guard. They will maintain checkpoints, observe movements of Egyptian and Israeli armies and keep the Strait of Tiran open.
They also will broil in 120-degree heat and endure an isolation few of them have experienced before. And they will endure it in a volatile part of the world, just down the peninsula from the agony between Israelis and Palestinians and within rapid deployment range of Iraq.
First Battalion drew the assignment in December, when the Pentagon decided to use the Oregonians instead of an active duty unit based in Alaska. With ongoing and potential military brushfires all over the world, Army resources are stretched thin.
The final two days before the planes came to haul the soldiers away was a disjointed swirl of last-minute preparations, checks, double-checks, soul-searching -- and one-lasts.
One last chance to fill out the next-of-kin paperwork. One last sweaty session of physical training. One last picnic at Emigrant Lake with families. One last look into the rucksacks, the utility backpacks that will carry all the soldiers' lives with them into the desert.
It happened all over the 186th's drawing area, at armories in Klamath Falls, Medford and the regiment's headquarters on Main Street in Ashland.
In Ashland, the soldiers assembled in formation at 8 a.m. for daily orders, then scattered in groups to prepare.
By Thursday, the soldiers were sick of waiting. "I'm anxious to go," said Sgt. Dave Bowman, a military policeman from Tualatin. "Once we get past this" -- he swept a beefy arm across the indoor concrete drill pad as soldiers scurried across it -- "I'll be a lot better. We need to get the wheels up and the boots in the sand. We're finding a lot of stress around here this week."
Another, less visible undercurrent flowed: The soldiers are headed into an uncertain future.
They all see what the rest of the public sees: A suicide bombing in Tel Aviv . . . Israeli tanks in Ramallah . . . ambushes in Afghanistan . . . pundits speculating on when, not if, the United States will attack Iraq.
And nobody really knows what it all portends. "It can be very good," said Sgt. Maj. Kevin Swogger, the top enlisted man in the expedition, "and it can be very bad. It's hard to get a handle on how they feel when the situation changes every couple of weeks."
Swogger is confident of this much: 186th soldiers could handle whatever looms. "They're as well-trained as any unit in the active duty Army unit," he said. "I'd put these soldiers up against anybody."
So would Sgt. 1st Class T.J. Santoyo, a platoon sergeant from Medford who will run a group of infantry soldiers in the Sinai. But his soldiers are less certain. "Sure, we're excited about going," he said. "But some of them are scared. . . . Right now, we all just pray that we come back the same as we left."
Barring a radical change, they will, according to Ron Tammen, director of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University.
"This (multinational force) is one of the great untold stories of success in the Middle East," he said, "because it works. It has served its purpose well -- neither side has tested it."
An invasion of Iraq? "I don't think these guys will be in the line of fire," Tammen said. "They're isolated, scattered around and not really a high-value target."
But could they become a rapid deployment force in Iraq? "I doubt it," Tammen said. "In a crisis, they'll be even more valuable where they are. (Their presence) will keep the tension down and keep both the Egyptians and Israelis more at ease."
Lt. Col. Dan Cameron, the 41-year-old commander of the 186th, is too busy to be concerned with the what-ifs. He's been dealing with the whats for six months.
He's built a force: The average age is 26. About a dozen of his senior enlisted troops have soldiered in the desert -- some during Desert Storm, some during the deployment of a company of the 162nd Infantry out of Gresham to Saudi Arabia more than two years ago.
He saves the best for last: Nearly everybody who is going volunteered for the mission.
"I'd say that only about five percent are reluctant to go," he said. "We've lost some to routine medical examinations. . . . There are quite a few people around here who are pretty upset that they can't go."
"Respini!" "Yes, First Sergeant."
Capt. Eric Riley, wildlife biologist, reached for his rucksack. "Well," he said. "Time for me to go."
He turned for a moment, smiled broadly and waved to the cluster of families pressed against the window of the waiting area.
Kristen Riley waved back to her husband while their sons, 4-year-old Cole and 1-year-old Logan, played at her ankles and their unborn third child grew a little more inside her.
"It's definitely gotten more emotional in the past five months," she said. "It's almost like, 'hurry up and go' so he can get back sooner."
The new baby is due July 27, about the time Eric Riley unpacks his rucksack in the Sinai Desert. He will miss the birth.
Is she ready for this? "Do I have a choice?" she said. "No, really, I have good family support around me. We have e-mail -- we bought a digital camera together so we can see each other."
The 727 started rolling along the tarmac at 6:42 a.m. Men and women cried and held each other as it taxied to the runway.
At exactly 6:55 a.m., when the rear wheels lifted off the runway, the Oregon citizen-soldiers became soldier-citizens.
You would tell me I was crazy, no one could be all this, but the fact is I know people who do all these jobs. They are known around the community as a special breed. One would think with a title like that they would be few and far between, but they are all over the world, and all over our home Country.
One may live next door to you. You would think to be able to keep up with all the jobs they do, this breed would have to be very tough, focused on one thing, that is getting the job done. You’re right on the matter of getting the job done. They not only get the job done; they do it better than most under the conditions they have to work.
The one thing I noticed watching this breed is that they look and act different than one would think. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. All different colors-they even have different interests and past times. You can see them sitting in a crowded car in the middle of the night while the rain pours down. Screaming kids fighting, kit packed into every extra space.
You will find them chasing their youngest to put their mitts on, while they can’t feel their own feet from standing out in the freezing cold for so long. They can be found sitting for hours on the same chair in the most uncomfortable places. No matter what place you see them, they are there for the same reason - to support their husbands.
You will find them standing next to their husband beaming with pride, putting on a brave face as their husband kisses them quickly and says “ I have to go”. Waving good-bye with a smile on the outside while their insides come crashing down. They turn and look down at the little faces looking up at them, waiting to hear the comforting words, as they too watch their daddy go away. As they speak those magic words to the children, they think to themselves is it going to be okay?’ It has to be okay; they have to go on.
They have doing a job, because this is their job. With aching bones they tuck the last little one in. Sitting in the quiet for a moment they look around and realize they are alone again. Quickly getting up they put their pain in their back pocket, and go on knowing they are one of many.
Remember when you first became a military spouse how foreign everything was from your normal civlilian life? Suddenly you had to contend with uniforms, globetrotting ranks, uprooting on a regular basis, temporary duty (TD), and so on. The problem was that you simply married into the military with nary a clue.
Well, no more. To correct this oversight, Potential Military Spouse Recruiting Centres have sprung up all over the country. Attendance is compulsory for anyone either engaged to a military person, dating one, casually seeing one or has the telephone number of one and may call sometime.
The centre holds sessions that are presented by tall, slim, straight, polished and creased drill sergeants with roaring voices of 120 decibles and above. Every Monday monring in towns and cities across the country, 12,000 potential military spouse hopefuls jam into the centres and fill the two acres of tables and chairs.
Here the sergeant strides up and down the aisles and among the crowded tables on a very intimate basis. No microphone is necessary. When he suggests you listen up, everyone does. "Is there anyone here who doesn't like to travel?" he bellows. A dozen hands go up. "Would you people come up here? Yes, right beside me." the sergeant says. "So, you don't like to travel!" "No," says one "it's very upsetting - not to mention dangerous." "Show these people the door, please" says the sergeant. Four privates rush down and usher them out. "Don't like travel, huh. Wanna be lifeguards but don't like the water."
You are about to become navigators" he says. "Your spouse will drive all over the country, indeed all over the world while you navigate. You will be approaching a major city at 100 kilometers an hour with both kids in the back seat screaming for a pee and your spouse asking casually "What exit did you say was ours, sweetie? This one? Whoops, there she goes."
You will learn map reading coordinates - how to locate your new home by the stars. "How many of you know how to sew your own drapes and curtains? Show of hands, people!" Hands fly up everywhere. "Good. Research has shown that this talent alone will save you $280,000 over the span of a military career" he says. "I do not know how many homes you will live in during that time, but I can promise you two things. One, it will be a lot, and two, in that parade of homes no two windows will ever be the same size."
How about you, son. Know how to sew a curtain?" "No sir." "I am not a sir!" he bellows. "You see these stripes? They signify 'sergeant'. I still work for a living!" "Yes, si...sergeant" "Now son, who are you involved with in the military?" My fiance is an Air Force pilot, sergeant." "Pilot," he mutters. "We'll put you down for the sewing course, son."
He moves on. "You have been issued a list of available courses, all designed to assist you in coping as a military spouse. Turn to page one now. Show of hands, people. How many wish to register for the first course listed - how to safely unpack broken dishes?" Hands everywhere. Fine, print your name in the blank space provided. How about 'Learning a foreign language with four days notice?" Hands. "How to repair a flat tire, lawn mower, refrigerator, and stove while spouse is on TD?" Hands.
"Very well, people. On your own time, print your name beside the courses you require. Then we will break one hour for lunch, retuurn here and continue through the list. There are a ton of things to learn. Any questions? Yes, the lady over there." "Sergeant, how long will it take to become a fully proficient military spouse?" "Excellent question! As near as we can figure, you should be approaching it somewhere between 20 and 30 years."
My life has been so crazy that I've been soooo neglectful of my beloved Canteen! But I'm still here keeping the faith and supporting our troops and it's wonderful to know you are too! I had a few weeks of anticipation recently, thinking there would be a chance I'd see my sweetie sooner than we hoped, but no such luck--we're still on for the duration. But he's serving a much greater cause than us selfishly wanting him home.
Lucky me, stumbling back in on Military Spouse day. Your corpsman salute warms my heart, my husband always says he'd be nothing without his corspmen to help him out. They deserve a SALUTE from this Navy wife and of course her husband would concur wholeheartedly and add his own as well!
((((((((((HUGS))))))))))) to all my FRiends, and I PROMISE I'll stop back by later tonite, we have nothing on our agenda except Friday Night movies in the sleeping bags...I can fire up the computer and still keep an eye on the kiddies....Thanks for being there, guys! Love, GG
God Bless all the military spouses, moms, dads, brothers, and sisters, etc. You are all heros. :)
Author, Major Gene Duncan, USMC Ret.
