thedrifter
05-28-09, 07:24 AM
Pride, tears send Marines on way
Families say goodbye to 137 members of an Iraq-bound battalion
Thursday, May 28, 2009
BY MARYANN SPOTO
Star-Ledger Staff
Waving a small American flag in each hand, Loretta Winters beamed as the first of three charter buses rolled out of the parking lot of the Marine Corps headquarters in Red Bank yesterday morning, packed with 137 Marines bound for Iraq.
"My son's on that bus," the Williamstown mother said. "It's a good thing. I support him 100 percent. I support all the guys that go into service."
During a week when scores of Army National Guard troops from New Jersey began arriving home, 22-year-old Herman Winters -- Lo retta Winters' only child -- was heading in the other direction, the first leg of a 10-week trip that will carry him to Iraq for a second tour with the 6th Motor Transport Battalion.
Dozens of weeping relatives of other deployed servicemen and servicewomen streamed past Lo retta Winters to get one last glimpse of the caravan before it rode, with a New Jersey State Police escort, out of sight.
Similar scenes played out at 53 home training centers from 39 other states yesterday morning as 891 Marine Corps reservists were activated to form the 6th's first lo gistics battalion since 2003, said Battalion Cmdr. Eric Davis.
"This is a big deal for the reserve company," Davis told more than 400 people gathered in Red Bank. "We've been planning this day for a long time."
Davis said he has been moved by the receptions that returning troops are getting.
"It's reassuring to see such warm homecomings," he said. "We'll get our homecoming next spring."
The reservists are still a long way from the battlefield. Their first stop will be Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and they'll go on to a California desert for 10 weeks of training. Then they'll head to Iraq, where they will be responsible for transporting equipment and personnel.
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), whose cousin Sgt. Alfred Lesniak Jr. shipped out with the group for his third tour, addressed the crowd.
"Getting into a war is easy. It's getting out that's tough," said the senator, who is an Army veteran. "But that's why you joined the Marines: to do the tough work and get the job done. God bless you all."
Deployed as part of the 2003 battalion, Russell Csignay, 33, of West Milford said this tour will be tougher because he now has a son. Gabriel turns 2 in July.
"I'm going to miss a whole year of his development," Csignay said. "Hopefully, now with the internet and improved communications over there, I'll get to see him often."
Csignay, an engineer, could have avoided this deployment be cause he underwent knee and arm surgery two months ago for injuries related to training and his first tour. He had anticipated an eight- month recovery.
"I volunteered for this," he said. "I don't quit."
Lance Cpl. Jason Gall, 24, of Marlton spent much of the sendoff hugging his fiancée, Erin McHugh, 23, to whom he proposed last weekend in Atlantic City.
Gall's mother, Patricia, said she didn't want her oldest son to join the Marines because she was concerned for his safety, but that she and her husband, Jack, are proud of his accomplishments.
"It's hard going through all these changes," said the mother of three. "I'm used to having all my children with me, their needing me. It's hard letting go."
This is the third deployment for Sgt. Jamal Byrd, 27, of Connecticut. His 7-year-old daughter, Janee, flitted about before his departure, not fully comprehending why she was there.
"It gets easier on you the more rank you have," he said. "It never gets easier on your family."
His wife, Shaunda, 26, cradled their month-old son, Jashaun, swaddled in a blue blanket, in her arms.
"He's going to be almost a year old when they come back," Shaunda Byrd said. "He's going to have to get to know his dad."
Ellie
Families say goodbye to 137 members of an Iraq-bound battalion
Thursday, May 28, 2009
BY MARYANN SPOTO
Star-Ledger Staff
Waving a small American flag in each hand, Loretta Winters beamed as the first of three charter buses rolled out of the parking lot of the Marine Corps headquarters in Red Bank yesterday morning, packed with 137 Marines bound for Iraq.
"My son's on that bus," the Williamstown mother said. "It's a good thing. I support him 100 percent. I support all the guys that go into service."
During a week when scores of Army National Guard troops from New Jersey began arriving home, 22-year-old Herman Winters -- Lo retta Winters' only child -- was heading in the other direction, the first leg of a 10-week trip that will carry him to Iraq for a second tour with the 6th Motor Transport Battalion.
Dozens of weeping relatives of other deployed servicemen and servicewomen streamed past Lo retta Winters to get one last glimpse of the caravan before it rode, with a New Jersey State Police escort, out of sight.
Similar scenes played out at 53 home training centers from 39 other states yesterday morning as 891 Marine Corps reservists were activated to form the 6th's first lo gistics battalion since 2003, said Battalion Cmdr. Eric Davis.
"This is a big deal for the reserve company," Davis told more than 400 people gathered in Red Bank. "We've been planning this day for a long time."
Davis said he has been moved by the receptions that returning troops are getting.
"It's reassuring to see such warm homecomings," he said. "We'll get our homecoming next spring."
The reservists are still a long way from the battlefield. Their first stop will be Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and they'll go on to a California desert for 10 weeks of training. Then they'll head to Iraq, where they will be responsible for transporting equipment and personnel.
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), whose cousin Sgt. Alfred Lesniak Jr. shipped out with the group for his third tour, addressed the crowd.
"Getting into a war is easy. It's getting out that's tough," said the senator, who is an Army veteran. "But that's why you joined the Marines: to do the tough work and get the job done. God bless you all."
Deployed as part of the 2003 battalion, Russell Csignay, 33, of West Milford said this tour will be tougher because he now has a son. Gabriel turns 2 in July.
"I'm going to miss a whole year of his development," Csignay said. "Hopefully, now with the internet and improved communications over there, I'll get to see him often."
Csignay, an engineer, could have avoided this deployment be cause he underwent knee and arm surgery two months ago for injuries related to training and his first tour. He had anticipated an eight- month recovery.
"I volunteered for this," he said. "I don't quit."
Lance Cpl. Jason Gall, 24, of Marlton spent much of the sendoff hugging his fiancée, Erin McHugh, 23, to whom he proposed last weekend in Atlantic City.
Gall's mother, Patricia, said she didn't want her oldest son to join the Marines because she was concerned for his safety, but that she and her husband, Jack, are proud of his accomplishments.
"It's hard going through all these changes," said the mother of three. "I'm used to having all my children with me, their needing me. It's hard letting go."
This is the third deployment for Sgt. Jamal Byrd, 27, of Connecticut. His 7-year-old daughter, Janee, flitted about before his departure, not fully comprehending why she was there.
"It gets easier on you the more rank you have," he said. "It never gets easier on your family."
His wife, Shaunda, 26, cradled their month-old son, Jashaun, swaddled in a blue blanket, in her arms.
"He's going to be almost a year old when they come back," Shaunda Byrd said. "He's going to have to get to know his dad."
Ellie