The sound of the Johnstons’ front door clicking shut was followed by the patter of small bare feet on the wooden floor of the living room in their Old Town home.

“Amy, Amy,” cried Kayleigh Johnston, 2, racing to her aunt’s side.

Amy Johnston, 30, embraced the toddler at her knees and then scooped her up before taking a seat in a plush chair in her brother’s living room.

Amy’s arrival captured young Kayleigh’s attention for a few minutes until her father, Troy Johnston, began playing house with her 10-month-old sister, Mikayla, a few feet away at the plastic kitchen set.

“It’s getting scary,” Amy said, watching as her two nieces baked an imaginary cake. “When we see them again they’ll be a lot different.”

Amy and her brother Troy, 30, will leave this week for a yearlong deployment to Iraq with the Maine Army National Guard’s Charlie Company, 1-126th Aviation Regiment. The brother-sister pair, who both graduated from Old Town High School, is part of the approximately 130-soldier unit formerly known as the 112th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), based in Bangor. The aviation unit’s helicopters evacuate injured soldiers and civilians from combat zones.

Second deployment

The 126th will be the first Maine Army Guard unit to deploy for a second time during the Iraq war.

The unit first deployed to southern Iraq in 2003, and now, nearly five years later, about 50 of the 130 soldiers will return for the second time, said Maj. Brian Veneziano, the company commander.

In the years since the unit was the first from Maine to be deployed, Veneziano said, the Army has improved many of its processes and procedures regarding a unit’s departure, particularly in preparing the family and soldier for separation.

In 2003, soldiers were told of their deployment about 14 days ahead of departure, Veneziano said. This time, soldiers knew a year in advance, allowing them to participate in family day functions where chaplains provided support, the Guard’s Family Assistance Center gave advice on how best to communicate while overseas, and JAG officers educated soldiers on their legal rights and benefits, he said.

“You can’t prepare a family for deployment in 14 days,” Veneziano said. “As the commander I can’t make a soldier go out and set up his checking account with his wife so she can sign and write checks. I also can’t make him sit down with her and talk about the ‘what ifs.'”

Troy Johnston said the 14-day notice in 2003 created a lot of anxiety, but over less time.

“The whole year here has been a black cloud of stress, whereas last time everything happened so fast,” he said. “Last time was stressful, but for a shorter amount of time.”

Jessica Johnston, Troy’s wife, said the couple often overbooked their schedule in the summer, trying to fit in every last family camping expedition because he wouldn’t be around next summer.

Veterans

Chief Warrant Officer Mark Bragdon, 59, of Windham is a helicopter pilot for the unit, and this deployment will be his fourth, which includes a tour in Vietnam. The veteran soldier, who will turn 60 while overseas, requested an age waiver from the Army so he could deploy one last time with his unit. Experience does not make deploying easier on his family though, especially with the advance notice, he said.

“For my wife of 39 years, it’s like an anvil waiting to drop,” Bragdon said. “It’s this impending doom.”

Bragdon will be joined by Chief Warrant Officer John Richardson, 58, who is also a pilot and Vietnam veteran. Richardson came out of retirement to spend one last deployment with his comrades.

“I called him on a Monday telling him that we were going back over, and he called me back on a Tuesday saying, ‘I’m going,'” Bragdon said about Richardson.

The soldiers spent most of 2007 training on new equipment and techniques, none of which they had during the first deployment, Veneziano said. The first time around, the soldiers were trained for European combat. This time they all will participate in convoy training, even the pilots, he said. New equipment also has kept the soldiers busy, learning about new technologies and tracking devices to keep the helicopters and soldiers safe.

“The first time there was no consideration for training for the most part,” Veneziano said. “You are what you are, and let’s get ready to go.”

As many in the U.S. have begun to compare the conflict in Iraq to that of Vietnam, the two soldiers agreed there are similarities. In Iraq, the troops’ experience with guerrilla warfare, insurgent attacks and difficulty distinguishing enemies from allies is the same as in Vietnam, Bragdon said.

One stark difference, Richardson added, is that in Iraq there are no major battles as they had with the North Vietnamese Army. In Iraq, he said, the violence happens in sporadic events.

‘More worried this time’

The sporadic escalations in violence in Iraq have occupied the thoughts of Troy and Amy Johnston’s mother for months now.

Debbie Johnston admits to contemplating which of her two children she will worry about more. The mother who is about to send her only two children off to war said it’s not that she has a favorite, but that her daughter and son have two very different jobs.

Capt. Amy Johnston is a helicopter pilot and the highest-ranking woman in the unit. She will fly over Iraq airlifting injured soldiers and civilians to Army hospitals. Sgt. Troy Johnston works from the ground in flight operations, maintaining helicopters and tracking pilot routes as they fly over the country.

The first deployment may have been a little easier on their mother because Amy was in flight school in 2003 and could not depart with her unit. Once Amy returned from school in April, Debbie had her daughter’s support and guidance since she understood Army protocols.

“I’m a little more worried this time, now they’re both going,” Debbie Johnston said. “With her in the air in the medevac unit, I know they’re not supposed to shoot her down since she has a big red cross on the helicopter, but …”

“And then last time he [Troy] had to drive a tanker in a convoy, and he wrote me a letter almost like he was saying goodbye to me. You could tell he felt insecure in what he was going to be doing. I just bawled my eyes out reading it.”

Debbie will be taking care of Amy’s 5-year-old Weimaraner dog, Zeke, while she is away.

Looking to home

Despite the length of her deployment, Amy will keep the lakeside house she is renting in Manchester.

“A lot of single people like to put their stuff in storage, but that didn’t work for me,” Amy said. “I wanted a place to come home to.”

Troy will have his home to return to in Old Town, but by that time he may recognize his quickly growing daughters only from pictures. While away, he will miss youngest daughter Mikayla’s first steps and her first birthday, and Jessica’s 10-year high school reunion.

Missing family milestones will be hard to endure, but losing a partner for more than a year is the worst, Jessica said.

“I’m losing my best friend,” she said, as she broke into tears while feeding Mikayla a snack. “He’s a very good father and so hands-on.”

A wave of concern passed over Troy’s face. He pulled young Kayleigh, who was perched on his lap, close and gave her a small squeeze.

“When you’re gone, you learn to appreciate things,” Troy said. “You learn how to be a better husband, a better dad, and really appreciate the special moments.”

trobbins@bangordailynews.net

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