thedrifter
01-03-08, 02:10 PM
5 Marine reservists take 1st step toward Iraq duty By Mike Hoeft
mhoeft@greenbaypressgazette.com
ASHWAUBENON -- Five Ashwaubenon-based Marine reservists bound for deployment in Iraq said goodbye to family and friends this morning at Austin Straubel International Airport.
Master Sgt. Scott Malinski’s deployment for up to a year will mean missing the birth of his second child. His wife, Amy, is due in six months.
“They give us time to prepare for it. The unit is here to offer help and support,” said Malinski, of Appleton.
For Staff Sgt. Allan Kanzenbach of Oconto Falls, it will be his third deployment to Iraq.
The entire unit went in 2003, said Kanzenbach, who was deployed again in 2005.
The Marine Reserve Center in Ashwaubenon has 150 members. The five deployed will be involved in logistical support, probably in al-Anbar Province, said Capt. Tony Mitchell, the inspector and instructor at the Ashwaubenon center.
They will head first to California, where they will train at Marine Corps bases at Twenty-Nine Palms or Camp Pendleton.
On hand for today’s sendoff were local officials, including Ashwaubenon Village President Jerry Menne, Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt and Brown County Executive Tom Hinz. About a dozen active-duty Marines supervising the unit also attended.
“It means a lot to get a pat on the back,” said Mitchell, who did two tours in Iraq. “The biggest thing is to show support when they return home.”
Ellie
mhoeft@greenbaypressgazette.com
ASHWAUBENON -- Five Ashwaubenon-based Marine reservists bound for deployment in Iraq said goodbye to family and friends this morning at Austin Straubel International Airport.
Master Sgt. Scott Malinski’s deployment for up to a year will mean missing the birth of his second child. His wife, Amy, is due in six months.
“They give us time to prepare for it. The unit is here to offer help and support,” said Malinski, of Appleton.
For Staff Sgt. Allan Kanzenbach of Oconto Falls, it will be his third deployment to Iraq.
The entire unit went in 2003, said Kanzenbach, who was deployed again in 2005.
The Marine Reserve Center in Ashwaubenon has 150 members. The five deployed will be involved in logistical support, probably in al-Anbar Province, said Capt. Tony Mitchell, the inspector and instructor at the Ashwaubenon center.
They will head first to California, where they will train at Marine Corps bases at Twenty-Nine Palms or Camp Pendleton.
On hand for today’s sendoff were local officials, including Ashwaubenon Village President Jerry Menne, Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt and Brown County Executive Tom Hinz. About a dozen active-duty Marines supervising the unit also attended.
“It means a lot to get a pat on the back,” said Mitchell, who did two tours in Iraq. “The biggest thing is to show support when they return home.”
Ellie