Houlton soldiers headed to Iraq Northern Maine National Guard unit gets warm send-off from family, friends

HOULTON – A bitter wind swirling its way through a chilly winter day wasn’t enough Thursday to deter local residents from showing their warmth and support for a local National Guard troop about to be deployed to Iraq.

About 40 guardsmen from the Houlton area boarded a bus Thursday afternoon for Waterville before being escorted by police and fire department personnel along Main Street, where well-wishers waved signs and cheered.

The local guardsmen joined other soldiers from Caribou and Presque Isle on the bus traveling to central Maine.

Waterville will play host on Saturday for a final farewell to all of the 124 soldiers of 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery, being called up. After the unit’s departure from Waterville, members will head to Fort Dix, N.J., for two to three months of additional training before going overseas.

As Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Ginish of Houlton stood waiting to leave with his fellow soldiers at the Pleasant Street Armory, friends and family around him commented on how happy he seemed to be about going to Iraq.

“Might as well have a positive attitude about it,” Ginish said. “That’s the kind of attitude that rubs off on all the troops.”

To give the troops an ample send-off, parents, friends and area church groups first organized a party Thursday afternoon at the armory. Proud family members bore pictures of their loved ones on pins and T-shirts, carried signs and chatted with a number of elder veterans who came to the informal ceremony.

The soldiers were dressed casually in civilian clothes, including sweat shirts and jeans, though some well-wishers had expected them to be in fatigues.

While circles of family and friends posed for pictures and children waved American flags, others sat quietly in folding chairs and worried over the future of the conflict.

“I support the war,” said Connie McAfee, whose son, Michael McAfee of Houlton was one of those soldiers being deployed. “You can never tell about the future there, though. I wish that we could just get it [the war] done.”

Though an experienced guardsman, Michael McAfee had never been deployed overseas before the Thanksgiving call up, according to his mother. She stuffed her hands deeper into her pockets and shrugged.

“I hope things will be all right,” Connie McAfee stated.

“I agree,” echoed her husband, Dale McAfee, keeping his eyes to the ground while speaking of the war. “There just are no assurances over there. There probably never will be.”

Approximately 124 members of the 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Unit were called shortly after Thanksgiving to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Iraq, the group will provide security for the troops that already are serving there.

The battalion consists about 400 soldiers from Aroostook County, with the call-up taking 30 percent of the unit’s total. The battalion has batteries in Fort Kent, Caribou, Presque Isle, Houlton, Calais and Waterville.

Thursday likely marked the end of units moving out of the County, according to Maj. Peter Rogers, Maine Army National Guard director of public affairs.”This was most likely the last day that we will see troops coming through Aroostook County,” Rogers said Thursday. “The unit will now form up in Waterville, where they will remain for six days of additional training.”

The group of soldiers relaxed at the armory while waiting for the units from Presque Isle and Caribou to arrive, lingering only to kiss their loved ones, catch a last smoke and say farewell.

The deployment period for the troop will be approximately 18 months, according to guardsman Danny Toby of Houlton. Surrounded by teary-eyed family and friends, he made light of his situation.

“I just want to get the job done,” he stated.

Some youngsters at the armory, however, expressed concern about the welfare of their loved ones who were leaving.

“My good friends are all leaving, and I know if they get hurt, we’re going to lose a lot of people,” said one 9-year-old boy in tears.

“I’m proud of them, and they’re my heroes,” another 10-year-old boy said.

As the bus traveled through Houlton’s downtown square, a good crowd of people was on hand, cheering as the bus passed and yelling, “Go guys” and “Get Saddam.”

Others honked car horns as the escort of police cars and firetrucks passed. People also held signs that read “We love you Daddy,” “Come Home Soon Nick” and “God Bless America.”

The news of their impending deployment added additional meaning to the holidays, according to National Guard member Nicholas Quint of Houlton.

“When my family first heard that I was being deployed, we felt sad, definitely,” said Quint, who was called out of classes at the University of Maine at Fort Kent for duty. “It is a hard thing to hear right over the holiday season.

“But then we realized that I have a job to do, and we’ve got to finish this mission and go home.”