ECHO COMPANY RETURNING TO IRAQ
STRONG & PROUD

Sunday, March 16, 2008
BY MONICA VON DOBENECK
Of The Patriot-News

Gunnery Sgt. Rodger Hoke told his daughter Makayla, 8, to "be strong" after he learned he would be going to Iraq again with Echo Company, a Marine Reserve unit based in Harrisburg.

Makayla was 3 when he went to Iraq the last time, in 2003. She cried when he left. Her day care center sent letters and care packages. When he returned to his Mechanicsburg home a year later, Makayla clung to him for half an hour.

"She didn't forget me," Hoke said Saturday in Harrisburg, carting a 65-pound backpack, a duffel bag, a rifle, a helmet and ammunition.

Hoke and dozens of other Marines from Echo Company returned Saturday from two weeks of training in Quantico, Va. The company, part of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, is preparing to return to Iraq this year.

About 180 Marines with Echo Company went to war in 2003, and 75 went back in 2005-06 to help the 1st Battalion.

This time, near the fifth anniversary of the war, Echo Company will activate in May. The company will spend some time training in California and then head to Iraq in late summer for seven months.

For almost half of them, this will be their second deployment, and for a handful, it will be their third, said Maj. Charles Clark, the company commander.

Company officers would not say exactly where they will be stationed or describe their mission.

When Hoke, 47, went to Iraq the first time, the Marines sometimes bunked in bombed-out buildings or under bridges, and communications were sketchy, he said. Roadside bombs were not yet common.

This time, from what he's heard, the accommodations should be more comfortable and it should be easier to stay in touch with his wife, Shih-Mei, and his daughter.

Makayla might also be more ready to understand, he said.

He told her, "Honey, this is a price Reserve members have to pay to keep the United States safe."

He has already spoken to her teachers at school. He attended a father-daughter dance for her Girl Scout troop, wearing his dress blues so she would be proud of him.

Leaving his family is like "stepping on a stone that's in your boot," he said. "There's some pressure, but you keep on walking."

Hoke said his bosses at Kepler Masonry are supportive, despite his third activation since he started working for them in 2001.

The Marines do all they can to help the families left behind, said 1st Sgt. Paul Finn.

Their Family Readiness Program helps families deal with health plans, wills, finances, child care and "even something as simple as getting the grass cut," he said. The Key Volunteer Network provides support, news, care packages and social gatherings.

According to Hoke, when his wife gets down, she calls other wives in the network.

"What it means is that we can leave here in complete confidence and focus on our mission," he said. "Sometimes you get a soft spot, but you must put your armor plate back on and keep going."

Sgt. Tim Wenrich, 29, of Mechanicsburg, said he tries to share all he knows with his wife, Denise, as soon as he hears anything "so we're both in the same information loop." She is "understanding and proud," he said.

Wenrich's 19-year-old stepson is also a Marine, training in Hawaii.

Like Hoke, Wenrich said his bosses at the Pennsylvania Game Commission are understanding and keep his job as a wildlife conservation officer open.

Wenrich served in Iraq in 2006. He expects that country to be different when he returns.

"From everything I hear, it's a lot more secure and peaceful," he said. "I'm expecting a lot more combined effort" with the local Iraqi police and security forces.

Lance Cpl. Ryan Gross of Emmaus, 22, will also return to Iraq for the second time. He was a private in 2006. This time he is looking forward to leading Marines.

"It's not nervousness" he's feeling, he said. "It's kind of like being a parent, proud when the young Marines you're leading go above and beyond."

Gross said he wanted to be a Marine "as soon as I wanted to be anything."

Wenrich said he made the decision to join in high school because of "the history, the tradition, the higher echelon I just wanted to be a part of."

Hoke said Echo Company is "a big family."

"We have young, hard chargers," he said. "They have good hearts, strong backs and a good vision. The spirit of the corps makes a viable force to be reckoned with."

Finn said, "Their morale is pretty good. They are highly motivated, they really believe in what they're doing and they're trained very well."

MONICA VON DOBENECK: 832-2090 or mdobeneck@patriot-news.com

Ellie