Three times a soldier: Guardsmen honored after third deployment
Three recently returned National Guardsmen were honored at last Wednesday morning’s gathering of other area veterans and Red Oak business and community leaders.
The three from the 1168 National Guard Transportation Unit, Staff Sergeants Don England and Darrin Rooker and Sergeant Gary Clear, had completed their third deployment in support of the United States’ war on terrorism.
Jerry Hansen, Montgomery County’s Veteran Affairs Coordinator, was present with a mission of his own. Days earlier Hansen visited Col. Chris Hughes, Executive Office to the Secretary of the Army in Washington, D.C.
Hughes had given instructions about the three medallions he sent home with Hansen.
“The (John M. McHugh) award is rarely given out. Sometimes it’s given on a battlefield by a visiting commander, or in other situations. The award is for selfless service,” Hansen said.
“Col. Hughes gave me three medals and told me to find three deserving soldiers for these medallions. On the plane ride home, I thought, ‘Who would deserve these medals more than the three men who were returning from their third deployment?’”
As Hansen distributed the medallions, those in attendance applauded the National Guardsmen for their sacrifice of being away from family and willingly being in harm’s way as the United States builds relationships and combats terrorism.
England has been in the Guard for 29 years and plans to retire from it when he’s 65 in about three years. He believes terrorism is difficult to defeat because one angry terrorist can cause a lot of harm, but he thinks the military is starting to help change lives and minds in Afghanistan. He came home a couple weeks before others because of his mother’s illness and death in September. He returned to Wisconsin for duty until the rest of the unit came home almost two weeks ago.
“It’s hard to leave your family,” England said. “It gets easier with each deployment, but it’s still hard. You miss out on a lot of things in their lives.”
England’s wife Penny and daughter Allison, a high school freshman, live here in Red Oak. His two sons, Brandon and Zachary, are both in the military now themselves. Brandon’s been with the National Guard for six years and is presently serving in Kosovo.
Zachary has been stateside with the Marine Corps now for three years and is at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Clear said the biggest challenge for those deployed is getting used to working with new people. When called up, squads are diversified, but, he says, they end up combined in a way that has them working smoothly together.
Clear has been a HET (Heavy Equipment Transport) driver, repairing and getting equipment to troops who need them. He’ll have 20 years behind him in May 2012, and he looks forward to being with his two young sons in Red Oak and his daughter in Massena. When he’s home, he’s an electrician with Controlled Services in Omaha.
Rooker, father of three daughters and who works for the Iowa Department of Corrections in Clarinda when he’s not escorting convoys in Kuwait and Iraq, said he believed life was better for the people where he’s served.
“There aren’t as many hungry as there used to be. And the people feel safer,” Rooker said. “They want us to leave, but they feel safer if we’re there.”
Rooker was eager to get to Inman Primary where he’d be having lunch with his second-grade daughter, Kinsee. He wanted to make up for lost time.
There are approximately 9,000 National and Air Guard members holding jobs throughout Iowa, aware that in 2010 it’s likely 3,500 of them will be called to active duty.
Hansen expressed his appreciation for both employer and community support for military personnel serving away from home.
The event was hosted by Iowa Workforce Development Office which announced its recent hiring of Lori Hansen whose job is specifically to help find employment for veterans.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary women, whose homes know what it’s like to be a military family, served refreshments. Soon they’ll be shipping packages to local residents’ sons and daughters and husbands and wives and brothers and sisters who won’t be celebrating the holidays here at home. To sponsor a box or help send those soldiers evidence of your concern, contact Goldie Adams at 623-2079.