Guard Troops Touch Down in TexasEL PASO, Texas (8/13/09) - Bone-tired, bleary-eyed, but jubilant to be one step closer to home, Texas Army National Guard Soldiers deplaned here today after a year-long deployment in Iraq.More than 100 of the 56th Brigade Combat Team Soldiers finally arrived here at Biggs Army Air Field after their flight had been delayed three times. And while some would have preferred to go straight to bed, every Soldier knows that inprocessing is a tedious but necessary process and none of them complained when they were asked to divide into several lines. "Soldier accountability is number one, go through this process just like you would while in Iraq," said Col. Samuel L. Henry, the brigade commander. "Do not let your speed overcome your accuracy while you are here." Carlos Escobar, the deputy in the state's mobilization and deployment office, knows all about the process. He deployed with the 56th the first time around. "I have a vested interest that Soldiers who return from Iraq or Afghanistan are processed as quickly and painlessly as possible," he said. "I have had to do this in the past, and I know how tired these Soldiers are. We have this down to a science now." After turning in their weapons, they will go through a quick medical screening, receive their Welcome Home briefing and then get good night's sleep. "Tomorrow," he said, "They will start approximately five days of more extensive medical reviews and other outbriefs." But before the Soldiers went through the inprocessing lines, Maj. Gen. Eddy Spurgin, commander of the 36th Infantry Division, and the 145th Army Band of the Oklahoma Army National Guard were there at the bottom of the aircraft stairs, to give Henry and his troops a resounding welcome. The band leader said they are performing their annual training in Texas to accommodate the multiple inbound flights, because the 36th Infantry Division Band was deployed. "We have 44 total band members, 36 are here today," said Chief Warrant Officer Scott Sanders, the 145th's band leader. "We will cover another incoming flight on Wednesday and plan to have a Dixieland band when the troops arrive." Once inside the terminal, Sgt. Toni Deasen, Spc. Lekita Hurd, and Sgt. Ashlee Michalke sat together and waited for the general to speak. Deason, who is from Ohio, volunteered to deploy with the Texas National Guard for the second time, "because they are really good guys, and I don't hold it against them that they are Texans much." Spurgin welcomed the troops home saying, "I have been waiting for you guys for the past two days, which evoked a ripple of laughter through the ranks. I can't tell you how much it means to me to see you here. I want you to know from the bottom of my heart how proud I am of you. I thought about you everyday. I know you are tired, so I'll make it brief. God bless each and everyone of you and God bless your families." A ceremony is planned for the Soldiers and their families, once all 3,500 Soldiers have returned home. News Archives * August 2009 * July 2009 * June 2009 * May 2009 * April 2009 * March 2009 * February 2009 * January 2009 * December 2008 * November 2008 * October 2008 * September 2008 * More Archives text size: change to small text change to large text Printer Friendly Printer Friendly Vesion Source: MilitarySpot.com |