Maine soldiers feted at ceremony Freedom Salute held in Augusta

AUGUSTA – Though most have been stateside for the past few months, more than 100 Maine soldiers received their official heroes’ welcome Sunday during a Freedom Salute at the Augusta Civic Center.

Guests of honor were 129 members of the Maine Army National Guard’s 152nd Maintenance Company, five soldiers from the Afghanistan National Army Mission who served with a unit made up of soldiers from 14 states, and seven members of the Task Force Sabre, who belong to the 172nd Mountain Infantry.

“This is great,” 1st Sgt. Dan Grenier of Winslow, the father of two adult children and four grandchildren, said.

“It’s nice to get everybody back together and to know we have this kind of support,” said Grenier, whose military career dates back to the Vietnam War.

Based in Augusta, with members from around the state and a detachment out of Bangor, the 152nd was the largest state Guard unit deployed overseas, according to information provided by Capt. Shanon Cotta, the Maine National Guard’s public affairs officer.

Though the unit’s specialty is servicing and maintaining vehicles, including bulldozers, cranes and heavy construction equipment, its mission was to conduct security and force protection operations at Camp Liberty, one of the largest U.S. posts in Iraq.

Their role was to ensure the safety of 14,000 Iraqi nationals, coalition forces and civilians, to serve in security missions, provide base security and escort convoys.

The unit returned in April from a yearlong deployment to Iraq. At that time, the soldiers were tearfully reunited with family, loved ones and friends at the Augusta Armory.

Though Sunday’s salute was less dramatic, it was no less appreciated.

On Sunday, four generations of the Cullivan clan from Liberty and Palermo turned out to cheer on Chief Warrant Officer Dale Cullivan, who served with the 152nd.

The soldier’s parents, Gary and Linda Cullivan, were among a few hundred family members and friends who attended the event at the Augusta Civic Center.

“It was very good, very well organized and not too long,” Gary Cullivan said of the event, which featured rousing military marches, a slide show and addresses from Gov. John Baldacci, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud and Maj. Gen. Bill Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, among others.

“We honor those who served and their families,” Baldacci said. “You all have made Maine proud through your service and your sacrifices.

“You were never alone while you were away,” he said. “All of Maine stood with you in support of your work and in support of your families. We are of one mind and heart when it comes to our soldiers; one community.”

Michaud, ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on health, vowed to work to ensure soldiers get the respect and support they deserve.

“It is men and women in uniform who have given America its freedom, and that is a debt we must consistently work to repay,” Michaud, a Democrat, said.

The Freedom Salute activities began Saturday with a family barbecue at the Guard’s conference center in China, where the returning soldiers received medals for their support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

On Sunday, they were given boxed American flags, limited-edition commemorative medallions and lapel pins for themselves and their spouses.

More than 560 Guard members from Maine remain mobilized or deployed.

Nearly 2,500 Maine National Guard members have served in support of the national effort since Sept. 11, 2001.