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838th Prepares for Afghanistan Mission with Ceremony
CANFIELD, Ohio – Headed to Afghanistan as the U.S. military winds down its involvement in Afghanistan, 1st Sgt. Shawn Murray of Youngstown says this is “one of the more critical times” to head into a war zone.
“You have to go over there more high alert than you would normally have to,” said Murray, a Youngstown firefighter and 23-year veteran of the Ohio National Guard. “The advantage of going in this time period is that everything is already in place and you’re not starting from scratch. As we always say, 'The foxhole is constantly being improved.' So we’re going as these foxholes should be pretty well improved.”
Murray took part Thursday in a call-to-duty ceremony at the Old North Church. Murray and his fellow members of the 838th Military Police Company of the Ohio National Guard will head to Camp Shelby in Mississippi Sunday to continue their training in preparation for a one-year tour in Afghanistan. The deployment will be Murray’s fourth overseas since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his first tour in Afghanistan.
“The most important thing you can take over there with you is No. 1 knowing that your family is back home supporting you,” Murray said. “The next thing is that you’ve had the appropriate training. The third one is that you’re going to be provided the leadership that you deserve and that you’ve earned because you are doing something that’s bigger than yourself. You need to realize that everyone back home is supporting you and that you’re moving forward so you can complete your mission.”
The “common thread” uniting the soldiers gathered for the ceremony is that they answered the call to duty “because they believe in that adage that freedom isn’t free,” remarked Maj. Gen. Deborah Ashenhurst, Ohio adjutant general. “Americans will always be willing to put their boots on the ground to fight for the freedoms and for our way of life,” she said.
Ashenhurst told the audience at the ceremony that the soldiers’ families and loved ones have an “awesome responsibility” not only to “pick up the duties back home” but to boost the soldiers’ morale. In addition to using email and Skype, she impressed the importance of the written word. “You’d be surprised where we find notes from home when we see our soldiers,” tucked into their helmets, pockets and reflective vests, she said.
“That written word or the picture that the child colors goes a long way,” she continued. “Please stay in touch with your soldier with things that they can hang onto.” She also thanked employers for their sacrifice and for letting soldiers know that they have jobs to return to when they return home.
U.S. Rep. Rim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, referenced Isaiah as he recognized the assembled soldiers, and he noted how their leadership ripples throughout their families, the community, the country and the world. “It takes a certain quality to say, ‘Send me, Lord.’ All these young people who are here are watching you,” he said. “As much as this is about this one tour, this one mission, it’s so much bigger than that because everyone’s watching. You’re the role model. We’re all watching you.”
Capt. Jason Dancy, 838th military police commander, reflected that the gathered enlisted personnel, who joined when the nation was at war, will be remembered as “the greatest generation since World War II.”
The Afghan mission represents the first overseas deployment for Darcy, who has commanded the unit for four years. A 13-year veteran of the guard and a police officer in the city of Westlake, Darcy was mobilized for airport duty following the 9-11 attacks. Having experienced soldiers who have already served overseas helps with the newer enlistees because they’ve had to make the adjustments and “experienced the hardships,” he said.
Several members of the 838th said they are enthusiastic about their upcoming deployment, and a few are looking for how they could incorporate their experience into their civilian lives and careers upon their return.
“I’m very excited,” remarked Specialist Eric Napier of Geneva, who is on her first deployment and has served in the guard for nearly four years. “We’ve been doing a lot of training, especially in the last year, and I’m ready to finally get over there and put that training to use.
Staff Sgt. James Garvey of Canton, a full-time supply sergeant with the 838th on his third deployment, said it is important for soldiers to “get into a routine” and maintain contact with family as much as possible “and try to do whatever you can to make the time go as fast as possible while staying safe.”
Sgt. Samantha McCarthy of Akron, who has served in the guard for 5½ years, is a student at the University of Akron studying cultural anthropology with a concentration in the Middle East. “I’m looking forward to experiencing the new cultures, being in that type of environment, furthering my military career and bringing home my guys safely,” she said. The deployment, her first, will be “a new experience” for her “but I have a good team, good experience and I’m excited.”
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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