Maine Guard units mobilize 1,500 gather at Bangor High to send off troops to Middle East

Righting injustices and ensuring freedoms are two of the reasons Maine National Guard units have been called to active duty, Chaplain Maj. Andrew Gibson told some 1,500 people during an emotional send-off reception for the soldiers at Bangor High School on Saturday.

Members of the 112th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) and the 1136th Transportation Company received mobilization orders Friday and will be deployed this week to Fort Drum, N.Y., in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the global war on terrorism.

Gibson told the standing-room-only crowd in Peakes Auditorium at the school that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is robbing his citizens of basic rights such as education.

“We will not let them do that,” the chaplain said. “That’s why they have to go now.”

In the meantime, members of the U.N. Security Council awaited a report by the two top U.N. weapons inspectors, who visited Baghdad this weekend. The report could be pivotal in deciding whether the United States should launch military action against Iraq.

Saturday’s send-off for members of the Maine units was subdued, as Maine soldiers and their families prepared for a separation that could last a year, or longer.

Husbands and wives held hands. Fathers and mothers dressed in camouflage uniforms carried infants in their arms. Children in their Sunday best clutched tightly their parents’ hands as they made their way through the packed auditorium.

Though the Maine units’ initial orders call for a deployment of up to a year, President Bush has the option of adding up to another year, if necessary, said Maj. Peter Rogers, spokesman for the Maine National Guard.

With their departure looming, soldiers have been going over personnel records, pay documents and family readiness plans with their superiors. They also are getting equipment and supplies in order.

Some also have exchanged wedding vows. At least eight Guard couples have married since the units received word of their deployment. Most of the couples stood up and were recognized during Friday’s ceremony, which featured addresses by some of Maine’s top military officials and patriotic music by the 195th Army National Guard Band, also based in Bangor.

In addition to the chaplain, speakers included Maj. Gen. Joseph Tinkham, the state’s adjutant general; Col. Brent Boyles; Col. Robert Carmichael; and Brig. Gen. William Libby, whose son leaves today for basic training.

In his remarks, Tinkham assured soldiers that their families will be looked after during their absence and tried to reassure families that their soldiers will be fine because they are part of one of the best-prepared and most highly trained military units in the nation.

“Some would say that what we’re doing here tonight is another step toward war,” Tinkham said.

Given the latest reports from Washington, outlining Saddam’s unwillingness to reveal and give up weapons of mass destruction, however, Tinkham countered, “The steps we are taking are steps toward peace.”

Tinkham left his troops the following parting advice: “Soldiers – good luck, Godspeed, be safe, God bless you and God bless America.”

Libby, who addressed many of his remarks to Guard spouses, said that living with soldiers preparing for active duty and experiencing a full range of emotions was probably like living with three or four different individuals.

“We’re experiencing fear, predominantly fear of the unknown, and we’re all dealing with emotions of separation,” he said.

Those are feelings that Libby and his wife, a high school guidance counselor, can easily relate to. More than three decades ago, after less than a year of married life, Libby left home to fight in the Vietnam War. Since then, he’s been away for 17 of 35 wedding anniversaries.

The units’ upcoming assignment, he said, was critical in the post-Sept. 11 world: “Our way of life has changed and we all know that.”