thedrifter
05-07-09, 06:37 AM
May 7, 2009
Marines head west as beginning of Iraq tour
Marines will train for four months, then go to Iraq.
Didi Tang
News-Leader
A bout 150 Marines stationed in Springfield waved goodbye to family and friends Wednesday morning before boarding a plane for California and, within months, Iraq.
There, the Marines from the Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines are expected to provide security, help stabilize the country and train Iraqi police and military during a seven-month tour.
The exact mission has not been assigned, said Maj. Shannon Johnson, the company commander.
Johnson, who will take his third tour of Iraq, said most of the 150 Marines will be deployed to the desert country for the first time.
President Barack Obama has ordered U.S. combat forces to withdraw from Iraq by the end of August 2010.
Johnson said it is still necessary to send troops to Iraq to keep U.S. presence because soldiers are typically called back after seven months.
The overall number of U.S. soldiers will gradually decrease, Johnson said.
Iraq remains a dangerous country, but Johnson said: "We're in the business of warfare."
On Wednesday morning, loved ones bid farewell to the soldiers, sharing tears, at the U.S. Military Reserve Center at 1110 N. Fremont Ave.
"The last five minutes were tough," Johnson said.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers then escorted the military buses down Chestnut Expressway, up Kansas Expressway and west on Kearney Street toward the Springfield Branson National Airport.
Many family members followed the caravan, hoping to catch one more glimpse of their child or spouse.
The traffic was slow, but most motorists were patient.
When the buses passed Williams Elementary on West Kearney Street, schoolchildren were out, waving red and blue behind a school fence.
A U.S. flag was hung from an overpass nearby.
Johnson said the soldiers will be in California for four months for pre-deployment training. Families can still visit the Marines there.
In about one year, they will return to Springfield, Johnson said.
"We're looking forward to it," he said. "And they'll be welcome home."
Ellie
Marines head west as beginning of Iraq tour
Marines will train for four months, then go to Iraq.
Didi Tang
News-Leader
A bout 150 Marines stationed in Springfield waved goodbye to family and friends Wednesday morning before boarding a plane for California and, within months, Iraq.
There, the Marines from the Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines are expected to provide security, help stabilize the country and train Iraqi police and military during a seven-month tour.
The exact mission has not been assigned, said Maj. Shannon Johnson, the company commander.
Johnson, who will take his third tour of Iraq, said most of the 150 Marines will be deployed to the desert country for the first time.
President Barack Obama has ordered U.S. combat forces to withdraw from Iraq by the end of August 2010.
Johnson said it is still necessary to send troops to Iraq to keep U.S. presence because soldiers are typically called back after seven months.
The overall number of U.S. soldiers will gradually decrease, Johnson said.
Iraq remains a dangerous country, but Johnson said: "We're in the business of warfare."
On Wednesday morning, loved ones bid farewell to the soldiers, sharing tears, at the U.S. Military Reserve Center at 1110 N. Fremont Ave.
"The last five minutes were tough," Johnson said.
Missouri Highway Patrol troopers then escorted the military buses down Chestnut Expressway, up Kansas Expressway and west on Kearney Street toward the Springfield Branson National Airport.
Many family members followed the caravan, hoping to catch one more glimpse of their child or spouse.
The traffic was slow, but most motorists were patient.
When the buses passed Williams Elementary on West Kearney Street, schoolchildren were out, waving red and blue behind a school fence.
A U.S. flag was hung from an overpass nearby.
Johnson said the soldiers will be in California for four months for pre-deployment training. Families can still visit the Marines there.
In about one year, they will return to Springfield, Johnson said.
"We're looking forward to it," he said. "And they'll be welcome home."
Ellie