Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Local guard ready to be deployed

Members of Prescott's 153rd Alpha Co. Infantry Brigade have been called to active duty and will be sent to Iraq.

Orders came down the pipe last week, with the National Guardsmen placed on active duty Oct. 6. The troops were placed on federal active duty on Oct. 12, according to Lt. Kevin Burton, one of the platoon leaders.

As of now, he said, all anyone knows is once the federal orders come through, they will be sent to Fort Hood by the end of October for additional training, then sent to Iraq. The tour of duty will last 12-18 months.

Staff Sgt. Paul Melton said families of the men are apprehensive and nervous about the assignment. However, there is a family readiness group working to make things easier for the families and the men. "There's a lot of interest and activity in it. It will play a big part in making this a success.'

The men, Burton said, are also apprehensive, but they're also excited because they're getting to do what they've been trained to do.

Melton compared the situation to a football team training for 20 years before getting to play their first game.

"The men are unsure and don't know what to expect," Melton said, "they don't know what's coming. But they know they're ready for it and can handle it. They're ready to do what's asked of them."

The local Guard, he added, isn't undergoing any additional training, but there is some fine tuning being done to prepare them for the Middle East.

The process of getting them ready to deploy, Burton said, is done on an annual basis. "The purpose of the Guard is to be ready at a moment's notice. We focus on being ready to deploy at each drill, along with soldier readiness."

The Guard's training procedure is evaluated each year and modified to meet the global situation at the time.

Few of the men in the local Guard unit have been deployed outside the United States. Burton has been to Central America, where he served as a medic. Melton has also been sent elsewhere during his time in the Guard.

"This is the first real world deployment we've been on," Burton said, "with hostility still in force. I'm excited. It'll be a good test for all the leaders. I've been trained to lead a platoon of men, and now I'll get real life feedback from the training. It's kind of the ultimate test."

"I'm impressed with the attitude of the men and their willingness," Melton said. "There's always a lot of questions people want answered. The answers will come in time. But overall, I think things are going pretty well.

"Their motivation, willingness to get the job done and community support is unbelievable."

When the soldiers go different places in uniform, Melton said, people come up to them showing support. People have offered to pay for their meals when in a restaurant to show support. "People understand what we're going through and are supportive. That makes it easier for the soldiers and their families."

Melton and Burton agree they are doing nothing more than their job, even though it's dangerous and could get them and/or their men killed.

"No one dragged us out of high school and told us to do it (join the service)," Burton said. "I joined while I was still in high school."

Melton also joined the Guard while in high school.

At this time, the company commanders are making sure all the men meet training requirements and are qualified in their duties before they leave the area. Once they arrive at Ft. Hood, things will change.

"The training will be more intense at Ft. Hood," Burton said. "We'll be focusing on urban operations."

Melton said the troops will be getting validated on a long list of different things as they're prepared to ship overseas.

However, he said, the number one priority is to accomplish the mission and bring everyone back safely.

"There comes a point where you've got the best training available," he said. "But there's never a 100 percent promise of safety."

"All the soldiers have been briefed on the danger," Burton said. "They've talked to veterans. They know the hazards. What makes this a special group of volunteers is they know the danger, have accepted it and will do it. This is common in all combat soldiers."

Another thing making this group special, he said, is, for the most part, they're all local and know one another well. They've grown up together, hunted, fished and played football with one another, so they'll be looking out for each other more while in Iraq.

"This is a real close bunch," Melton said, "and that works to our advantage. We can tell when something's on their mind and give them a chance to talk it out before it gets bad."

When it comes to equipment Melton said the men will be going into Iraq with the best gear possible. "We've kept our heads up on equipment. It's been well maintained, and most of it's new. We have no reservations about the equipment."

According to Burton, the Guard may have equipment the regular Army and Marines don't have.

Still, all the training and the best equipment in the world doesn't make it easy to leave home. In Burton's case, his wife is expecting to deliver before the end of October. He expects to be with her in the hospital when their baby is delivered.

However, he said, it isn't the same for some of the other men who's wives aren't due until December, when they'll be in Iraq.

But, things will be made somewhat easier because of the family support group. Burton said there will be more turnout than ever with the families, friends and community coming out to show support.

Before being sent overseas, Melton said, the men will be briefed in customs and courtesy of the area. They'll also be informed of the environment and climate as part of their training.

Meanwhile, the troops are enjoying the support they're getting in the community. The Lion's Club has offered to cook for the men before they leave, and items for care packages will be gathered at the Pumpkinfest, Saturday, Oct. 25.