Speculation that orders were forthcoming for the
deployment of soldiers of McKenzie's National Guard
unit has had veterans organizations, public officials
and caring citizens scheming for weeks on how to honor
them.
On Friday last week, reality dawned when the Adjutant
General of Tennessee, Major General Gus Hargett,
announced that three West Tennessee Army National
Guard units had that day received mobilization orders
in accordance with the presidential declaration of
September 14, 2001, that "a national emergency exists
by reason of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade
Center, New York, New York, and the Pentagon, and the
continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on
the United States."
Along with Company A in McKenzie, their detachment in
Milan and some members of the headquarters group in
Trenton - all part of the 230th Engineer Battalion -
received mobilization orders. The notice advised
approximately 130 soldiers were included in the
deployment.
"The units will mobilize at their home stations on
November 15, 2004," stated Randy Harris, joint public
affairs director for the Tennessee Military
Department. "They will move to their mobilization site
at Fort Sill, Oklahoma on or about November 18."
The mobilization brings the number of Tennessee Army
and Air National Guard personnel currently serving on
active duty to 4,286, a number that already includes
the soldiers of Company B, 230th Calvary, in
Huntingdon - who were activated on February 1, 2003,
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Noble Eagle - and, perhaps most recently, George Nolen
and Glyn Jones, both from McKenzie, among other
regular and reserve soldiers.
Nolen is in Kuwait as a member of the 230th Area
Support Group, a National Guard unit based in
Dyersburg that was activated in August. Their mission
is "to provide command and control, base support
operations, force protection and projection in support
contingencies; and enhance the readiness and
well-being of US Forces living and working within the
Area Support Group," according to military sources.
Says wife, Gloria, "He's doing fine, he's in church.
He's doing real good right now." Also in McKenzie are
George's children, George Jr., and Harriet.
Harriet says that when she heard about the McKenzie
unit's pending departure, "I thought about everybody
else's loved ones going and what they were going to do
when they were used to them being at home.
"It's just a day by day thing, like the song says, one
day at a time," she continues. "It is only through the
Lord Jesus Christ - the only thing that helps us
through this is prayer and keeping our eyes focused on
the Lord."
Faith and prayer is a familiar theme when talking with
family members involved in the conflict.
The deployment brings to three the number of family
members headed abroad for Hazel Washburn, whose son,
Sergeant First Class (E-7) Tommy Maynard, and
grandson, Specialist (E-4) Acie Maynard, Tommy's son,
are both members of the McKenzie unit. Her brother,
Glyn Jones, a member the 194th Engineering Company
based in Jackson, received his orders in August.
Hazel Washburn could be
separated from both her grandson, Acie Maynard (left)
and son Tommy, if both are chosen to make the trip to
Iraq.
"Ask everybody to pray for us and pray for the rest
of the boys," says Hazel, "I'm not any better than any
of the other mothers, I know they feel the same way."
This is the second go-round for Hazel and her husband,
Fred, who had a daughter, son and son-in-law in Desert
Storm in 1991. Diane Maynard Ross, Hazel's daughter,
Diane's husband, David, and Fred's son Jerry Washburn
served in that war.
"Looks like they've got enough of my family," Hazel
says, though not bitterly.
Tommy has been a member of the National Guard for 33
years, enlisting in 1972 halfway through his senior
year of high school. He is operations NCO for the
unit, coordinating company operations and training.
During those years, he recounts humanitarian missions
to Honduras and the construction of a fence along the
southern border of California, but no war-time
experience. He will have to pass a medical evaluation
if he is to be deployed this tour, he says.
Acie joined the unit seven years ago in December after
presenting his parents with a parental consent form at
the supper table.
"He was just following in his daddy's footsteps, I
figured his daddy could look after him; he looks after
a lot of them," says Hazel as Tommy nods in agreement.
"We knew it was going to happen anyhow," Acie's mom,
Dee, says, echoed by Tommy, "We've been looking at
this for years, we knew it was going to happen at some
point in time, we just didn't know when."
Now almost 24 years old - he celebrates his birthday
the day before the unit heads to Fort Sill - Acie will
be leaving behind a girlfriend as well, Paula Graves,
a hairstylist with Designing Women in McKenzie.
"We'll stay in contact and pick up where we left off
when I get back," says Acie, who nevertheless
professes no long term plans, saying, "Asking somebody
to wait a year or so before you come back is hard to
do."
As for Glyn, the Sergeant First Class is scheduled to
report for active duty on October 23. An electrician
by trade and owner of Jones Electric Company in
McKenzie, until recently he was also chairman of the
Park and Recreation Advisory Board for the city, two
facts not lost upon Mayor Walter Winchester.
"Not only are they military personnel but citizens of
our community and those citizens will be missed while
they're on active duty," says the mayor, who noted
police dispatcher Stephanie Walker is a member of the
McKenzie unit. "People working in the community will
be called away to do a job for their country. We'll
miss them; we hope for their safe return and a quick
end to the war."
Other father/son teams include Pat and Dusty Carroll,
a recent graduate of McKenzie High School, from the
Milan detachment, and First Sergeant Johnny Walker and
son Todd and Richard and Kent Ozment, both from the
McKenzie unit.
Richard, a staff sergeant (E-6), will soon complete
his 21st year in the McKenzie unit. A 1983 graduate of
Southside Christian Academy, he lives in McKenzie with
his wife, Sonya, 20-year-old daughter, Sarah, and son,
Kent, a 2004 graduate of McKenzie High School.
.
Richard and Kent Ozment are both
members of Company A |
Concerning his son's enlistment, Richard says,
"He's just like me, he volunteered to join the
military of his own free will and accord. He knew we
were at war when he signed up and I'm proud of the
stand he's made."
Kent, a private first class (E-3), joined the unit on
November 8, 2003.
"I really didn't know what I wanted to do and it
seemed like a good career option," he says.
"Definitely it's made me a better person. I hope I can
do something for somebody else someday."
The orders didn't come as a surprise to the young
soldier who says, "It wasn't unexpected; during basic
training they were talking quite a bit about it."
Richard, who will be leaving his job at Replogle
Lumber Company, says, "The guard's been good to me and
it's been good for me. I've been proud to serve my
community, my state and my country. I just hope in
this troubled time the community will give back, just
support us. We want to be in their thoughts and their
prayers; just stand behind us in all we endeavor to
do."
For Sam Luter of Atwood, who as a young man served in
Vietnam, this could be the second time around.
"We were going together when he went to Vietnam," says
Eulah, his wife of 32 years, laughing nervously while
allowing the current news is "still hard to believe."
Sam works in Milan at Tower Automotive. The couple has
two children, ages 25 and 31.
Eulah recalls writing letters while he was away:
"You're just always scared you're not going to hear
back from them and all, that was my biggest fear.
"Just pray for us," she says. "I'm still really in
shock; I don't even look at the news now, all I can
say is just pray for them."
Specialist (E-4) Eric O'Neal wasted little time
preparing for his departure, the week before orders
were received marrying his sweetheart and the mother
of his one-month-old daughter, Alexis, and
two-year-old step-daughter, Courtney.
Eric and Cindy High were married Sunday, October 10 in
a ceremony officiated by the Reverend Earlie Lassater.
Lassater, who has lived through eras including World
War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm, broke down
halfway through the ceremony and was comforted by the
bride, a long time friend, as he regained his
composure and continued the ceremony.
Eric is no stranger to military life. His mother, 1975
MHS graduate Donna Ramey Martin, and father, Edward
"Dilly" O'Neal from Georgia, met when both were
members of the U.S. Air Force. Donna spent 21 years in
the Air Force before retiring to McKenzie where her
parents, Charles and Nancy Ramey, also reside.
Charles, a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, while
concerned, counters the criticism of other parents
whose statements to media sources blamed the
government for their children being placed in harm's
way: "He's in the guard, so they have to go," says
Ramey, "I feel if he's in the guard he has to do like
all the rest of them; if they didn't want to serve
their country they shouldn't be taking the money for
being in the guard."
Says Donna, "After serving 21 years in the Air Force,
I know it's our duty to protect our country, but this
is hitting a little close to home. He's in the Lord's
hands; I gave him over to the Lord a long time ago and
I'll be praying for him every day along with all the
other mothers and families that are left here... It
hasn't hit yet... when it does it's not going to be
pretty."
Eric expressed conflicting emotions: "As far as being
a soldier, it's my duty," he says. "As far as being a
husband and a dad, it's hard to do. But there are many
over there now, I'm just one more to serve my country
and I'm proud to do it."
Staff Sergeant (E-6) Spiros Roditis says his main
concern is for his six-year-old daughter, Ellie. "I've
only been away from Ellie a month before," he says,
nevertheless maintaining a positive outlook regarding
his pending departure.
 .
Spiros Roditis and wife
Sandi were dating when he deployed to Desert
Storm in 1990.
|
Originally from California, he and wife, Sandi
(Stafford), were dating when, in 1990, he was deployed
to Saudi Arabia for six months as a Fort Campbell
soldier.
Including time spent in the regular Army and active
duty National Guard, Spiros has 12 years of military
experience. He anticipates the unit's mission may
include various types of construction, with the unit
trained to handle everything from building houses to
roadwork. Spiros will perform as logistics NCO,
handling supplies for the company.
Concerning his second trip to Southwest Asia (the
Middle East), he says, "It's my job and that's just
what we train to do. And if we can make it better for
my daughter and their generation then that's what we
need to do, so they hopefully won't have to deal with
the mess we're dealing with now with terrorists. Other
than leaving family, I have no reservations."
Sandi is surprisingly upbeat, considering she is in
her second trimester of pregnancy with a due date of
April 14, well before Company A is scheduled to return
home.
"I want to be very honest about where my peace comes,"
she says. "It's from the Lord. I feel God made Spiros,
he loves Spiros..."
She quotes from Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you
nor forsake you."
"That keeps playing in my mind," she says. "I have
faith everything is going to be OK. And we have a
loving family... I feel very blessed... and we have
our church family and friends, we're very blessed,
we're not alone."
She takes heart that technology has advanced
communication to the point that she will be able to
email pictures of Ellie and the baby to Spiros and,
with the assistance of an inexpensive digital camera,
he will also be able to keep in touch with pictures as
well as email.
"Technology makes communication easier and faster than
waiting for letters," says Sandi, as Spiros recalls
that, during Desert Storm, the two had a $500 phone
bill one month and that telephones were few while
waiting lines were long.
"My other motto is, 'one day at a time,'" says Sandi,
"You just can't project into the future or you'll make
yourself crazy."
As family readiness group leader, she says, "It would
be nice if businesses would open their doors to donate
hygiene products: shampoo, soap, antibacterial hand
cleaner, and shaving cream. I would love to see them
offer military discounts while the soldiers are away
if roof leaks or a plumber is needed or a car needs
repair. It's going to be women who are left behind and
they will need practical help. And care packages are
nice, that's what they run out of; it's the practical
things."
She notes military dependents may be easily identified
as they are issued dependent ID cards.
State Representative Mark Maddox, perhaps, spoke for
the community at large in saying, "I am proud of all
members of the Tennessee National Guard from the 76th
District who are serving our country. As these men and
women in the McKenzie unit leave the United States to
participate in the operation in Iraq, my family and I
will pray for their safety knowing they will perform
their duty effectively and efficiently.
"Our thoughts and prayers will not only be with the
soldiers but also the family members making a
sacrifice while their loved ones serve our country. If
any of them need my help, I stand ready."
