Soldiers get ready for Iraq deployment
Monday, June 22, 2009, 10:54am
Soldiers deploying to Iraq march down Becker Avenue.
The New Mexico National Guard 515th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, which was honored Saturday at a rainy and solemn yellow ribbon ceremony, will deploy to Iraq late this summer.
The unit, with approximately 80 members, leaves New Mexico today for a month of training in Indiana. By early August, they will be adjusting to the temperature change and getting rid of jet lag for two weeks in Kuwait. The unit will then be stationed in Northern Iraq for up to 18 months.
In Iraq, the unit might take on tasks like convoy operations, traffic control points, and military operations in urban terrain. They’ve been training in the New Mexico desert to do just that.
In March, the unit moved from Socorro to Belen. The unit that used to be located in Belen moved to Las Cruces. Despite being so new to the area, Lt. Colonel Kenneth Nava, who leads the battalion, said his unit has been treated well.
“In the very short time that we’ve been here, we’ve felt nothing but great love and support from the community of Belen,” he said.
Soldiers enter Harla May's for lunch on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the soldiers spent about an hour eating a free lunch at Harla May’s Fat Boy Grill in Belen. The restaurant isn’t open on Wednesdays, but it opened for them. The soldiers, who said they’ve had ham or bologna sandwiches every day for about six weeks, were pleased to have hamburgers and watch some AC/DC concert footage on the old theater’s movie screen.
At the lunch, the Greater Belen Chamber of Commerce served food and Cemco Inc., located on an Interstate 25 frontage in Belen, gave a free phone card to each soldier.
“You are truly the heart of our country,” Neil Hise, Cemco’s owner, told the soldiers. “We appreciate you so much. We want you to have one of these so you can call home when you need to.”
The Belen City Council also honored the troops in their own way, with Councilor Terese Ulivarri and Mayor Ronnie Torres spending time with the troops during their training exercises at Stallion Range Camp at White Sands Missile Range.
“It just broke my heart, because I was talking to some of the people and they were telling me about the kids they have, the families they have,” Torres said. “These guys are going out for a year and they don’t know if they’re going to come back home.”
A mother is hugged by her three children.
On Saturday, Sonny and Gloria Sanchez and Bruce Prater, three local citizens, organized a yellow ribbon ceremony as a formal send-off for the soldiers. It’s the first time Belen has hosted such an event, Gloria Sanchez said.
“A yellow ribbon ceremony is not a fun thing for us,” Nava said. “It’s a very sober event. We’re sad. We’re leaving our families for a year. It’s a very emotional day.”
At the ceremony, the soldiers were surrounded by family and citizens, many of whom dressed in patriotic colors. A few children wore tiny camouflage uniforms from head to toe. Dignitaries showed up as well, even the likes of Gov. Bill Richardson, who flew in by Black Hawk helicopter.
Two military humvees parked along Main Street, adjacent to the triumph arch. A Belen Fire Department fire truck hoisted a giant American flag over Becker Avenue.
Every speaker extolled soldiers’ courage. Some revealed how much the soldiers will be missed. One cried.
Major General Kenny C. Montoya said, “They don’t do it for glory. They don’t do it for medals. They do it for us.”
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