thedrifter
09-04-07, 03:09 PM
260 Marines head for Iraq
By BILL HENDRICK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/04/07
After saying their farewells to scores of tear-streaked family members on Tuesday, more than 260 stiff-jawed Marines boarded a chartered DC-10 at the Naval Air Station Atlanta in Marietta, that took off on the first leg of a long journey to Iraq, where they will spend the next seven months in Al Anbar province.
For most members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, it was a second or third trip to a combat zone. Many already have served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq or both.
The Marines spent about four hours with their families in a giant hangar before they marched through a double row of American flags toward the Omni Air International jet parked on the runway.
Lt. Col. Ray Mederos, commanding officer of the squadron, said the combat attack unit has spent nearly two years in Afghanistan and that many members "have seen action in Iraq as well."
Mederos hugged his wife, Trish, and three children before boarding the plane.
"This is my fourth time in a war zone if you count Desert Storm [in 1991)," he said. "It's my second trip in this war."
His wife noted that this time "he'll miss Thanksgiving and Christmas and a lot of birthdays."
"I think I've gotten used to it," she said, smiling weakly. "If that's possible."
Mederos, 43, said that after 20 years in the Marine Corps, "you get hardened to the goodbyes."
Enlisted men and officers alike hugged their wives and girlfriends, many clinging to their Marines after they had been ordered into line to prepare for boarding.
Members of the American Legion and the USO handed out gift bags to the Marines as they left the hangar for the plane. Members of a group known as the Patriot Guard Riders, who arrived at the base on motorcycles, held some of the American flags.
Pat Solomon, a gray-haired USO volunteer who lives in Sandy Springs, handed out gift bags, then cheered the Marines as they trudged toward the plane, with families applauding.
"Thank you for your service," she yelled. "Thank you for your service to our country. We wish you luck. Be safe."
Lt. Col. Allan Jarvis said this deployment would be harder on him than others because he coaches soccer for his sons' teams, "but we'll get through it with e-mail and phone conversations."
Lance Cpl. Kyle Van Dyke, 21, of Toms River, N.J, said he was "a little nervous" about his first deployment, but not for himself. He hugged his girlfriend, Ally Wells, before boarding.
"I don't like it at all," she said. "But we're going to talk and e-mail all the time."
Cpl. Jason Arant, 24, of Douglasville, headed to his second tour in Iraq, said he worried more about how his family will endure than about himself.
"We know what to expect," he said.
"Yes, you know what to expect, but for us, that's what makes it worse," said his wife, Breann, pushing a baby stroller with their two children, Alexis, 3, and Dominic, 9 months. "He just got back April 30 of this year, and he's going again. Our son was born when he was gone the last time."
Maj. James "Jethro" Judkins, who had said his goodbyes before arriving at the base, said "it's been a pretty hard week, especially when your son says, 'Dad, I just want you to make it home.'"
His wife, Heather, is a leader of a group that will keep loved ones on the homefront deployed. He said goodbye to his children, Caleb, 10, Joshua, 9, Phoebe, 6, and Abigail, 5, before arriving at the base.
"Because the Marines Corps is a family, taking care of Marines means family welfare is vital to our success," he said earlier. "Most times, deployments are harder on our families than the Marines. It is important for the families to have the support and resources available in order to help them cope with the separation."
He said the family members "are the true heroes."
A few blocks from the hangar where the Marines had gathered, Gov. Sonny Perdue participated in a ceremony at which military officials turned over 20 acres of the base owned by the U.S. Department of the Navy to the Georgia National Guard.
The transfer was said to be the first in the federal Base Alignment and Closure decision announced in May 2005.
The rest of the property still controlled by the Navy will be turned over to the state of Georgia over the next few years.
Also on hand at the ceremony were Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., and a number of generals and high-ranking Naval officers.
Ellie
By BILL HENDRICK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/04/07
After saying their farewells to scores of tear-streaked family members on Tuesday, more than 260 stiff-jawed Marines boarded a chartered DC-10 at the Naval Air Station Atlanta in Marietta, that took off on the first leg of a long journey to Iraq, where they will spend the next seven months in Al Anbar province.
For most members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, it was a second or third trip to a combat zone. Many already have served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq or both.
The Marines spent about four hours with their families in a giant hangar before they marched through a double row of American flags toward the Omni Air International jet parked on the runway.
Lt. Col. Ray Mederos, commanding officer of the squadron, said the combat attack unit has spent nearly two years in Afghanistan and that many members "have seen action in Iraq as well."
Mederos hugged his wife, Trish, and three children before boarding the plane.
"This is my fourth time in a war zone if you count Desert Storm [in 1991)," he said. "It's my second trip in this war."
His wife noted that this time "he'll miss Thanksgiving and Christmas and a lot of birthdays."
"I think I've gotten used to it," she said, smiling weakly. "If that's possible."
Mederos, 43, said that after 20 years in the Marine Corps, "you get hardened to the goodbyes."
Enlisted men and officers alike hugged their wives and girlfriends, many clinging to their Marines after they had been ordered into line to prepare for boarding.
Members of the American Legion and the USO handed out gift bags to the Marines as they left the hangar for the plane. Members of a group known as the Patriot Guard Riders, who arrived at the base on motorcycles, held some of the American flags.
Pat Solomon, a gray-haired USO volunteer who lives in Sandy Springs, handed out gift bags, then cheered the Marines as they trudged toward the plane, with families applauding.
"Thank you for your service," she yelled. "Thank you for your service to our country. We wish you luck. Be safe."
Lt. Col. Allan Jarvis said this deployment would be harder on him than others because he coaches soccer for his sons' teams, "but we'll get through it with e-mail and phone conversations."
Lance Cpl. Kyle Van Dyke, 21, of Toms River, N.J, said he was "a little nervous" about his first deployment, but not for himself. He hugged his girlfriend, Ally Wells, before boarding.
"I don't like it at all," she said. "But we're going to talk and e-mail all the time."
Cpl. Jason Arant, 24, of Douglasville, headed to his second tour in Iraq, said he worried more about how his family will endure than about himself.
"We know what to expect," he said.
"Yes, you know what to expect, but for us, that's what makes it worse," said his wife, Breann, pushing a baby stroller with their two children, Alexis, 3, and Dominic, 9 months. "He just got back April 30 of this year, and he's going again. Our son was born when he was gone the last time."
Maj. James "Jethro" Judkins, who had said his goodbyes before arriving at the base, said "it's been a pretty hard week, especially when your son says, 'Dad, I just want you to make it home.'"
His wife, Heather, is a leader of a group that will keep loved ones on the homefront deployed. He said goodbye to his children, Caleb, 10, Joshua, 9, Phoebe, 6, and Abigail, 5, before arriving at the base.
"Because the Marines Corps is a family, taking care of Marines means family welfare is vital to our success," he said earlier. "Most times, deployments are harder on our families than the Marines. It is important for the families to have the support and resources available in order to help them cope with the separation."
He said the family members "are the true heroes."
A few blocks from the hangar where the Marines had gathered, Gov. Sonny Perdue participated in a ceremony at which military officials turned over 20 acres of the base owned by the U.S. Department of the Navy to the Georgia National Guard.
The transfer was said to be the first in the federal Base Alignment and Closure decision announced in May 2005.
The rest of the property still controlled by the Navy will be turned over to the state of Georgia over the next few years.
Also on hand at the ceremony were Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., and a number of generals and high-ranking Naval officers.
Ellie