MORRISONVILLE — Scores of family members met Saturday at the National Guard Armory to see off their citizen soldiers as they prepare to deploy to Kuwait.
Similar ceremonies took place throughout the day across New York state, part of a statewide deployment of 1,800 soldiers of the 27th Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers will depart for Camp Shelby, Mississippi for two months of training, after which they are slated to head to the Middle East for a 12-month deployment.
"This unit is well trained," said Sgt. Daniel Williams, a National Guard soldier from Clemons, N.Y., who has been deployed previously to Yugoslavia and Haiti while serving in the Marine Corps. "We've been to multiple training sceneries for what we're going to be doing. The public should be confident that the New York Guard is going to be able to accomplish this mission. We've trained hard for the last year and a half."
For 2nd Lt. William Vilardo, who will be commanding the platoon in Kuwait, the sentiment is very much the same.
"I have full confidence in my platoon. We've got a lot of combat vets in the platoon; some with one, two or even three deployments. The experience is in the platoon so if I just follow them, they'll show me the right way."
While the ceremony, which took place in a dimly lit garage at the Morrisonville armory, was clearly geared toward seeing off the soldiers of Alpha Company, 2-108th Infantry, the speakers were quick to point out that the other half of any combat team is the families who are left behind. This part of the team, it was stressed, is just as important to the success of the mission as those dressed in camouflage standing at parade rest.
While a number of combat veterans dotted the assembled phalanx of soldiers, for many it is their and their family's first deployment.
One such soldier is Specialist Chris Matott, a combat medic from Rouses Point. Obviously excited for his first deployment and the chance to see the world, he is aware of just what makes a mission overseas so hard.
"Just being away from family. You're used to seeing them every day, and knowing that you're only going to be able to see them on a computer screen or hear their voice on the phone, that's the roughest part."
While the first leg of their mission to Camp Shelby is set, the second leg of their 12-month deployment has already changed from to Afghanistan to Kuwait. With the ongoing changes in overseas operations, this deployment could change again, or even be curtailed short of the 12-month timeline.
For the soldiers, however, the possibility of a change in mission is just a part of their job, as Justin Gauthier, a specialist from Crown Point who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, explains:
"We were supposed to mobilize for Afghanistan and they re-routed us to Kuwait. We're a mobile response force and we're responsible for nine other countries. Basically if anything happens in any of those nine countries we'll respond and be a presence of force."
While in Kuwait, they will be in support of security operations under way there.
As the ceremony drew to a close, many family members and some soldiers fought back tears as families huddled in secluded corners to see their loved ones off with hugs, kisses and many pictures.
"With soldiers leaving, families do need a lot of support," said Lt. Vilardo of those left behind. "You could plow a driveway, mow a lawn in the summer. A lot of them have a lot of pride and won't ask for help, so if someone comes over and offers I'm sure it'll be more than welcomed. Anyone who wants to help can contact the armory and if they can provide a service — that would be great."
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