Reservists tell family, friends goodbye, head for active duty
LUZERNE TWP. – Parents, grandparents, children, even dogs were on hand for Monday’s deployment of 50 members of the 298th Transportation Detachment 2 at the Hiller Army Reserve Center. The troops and their families began gathering at the reserve center around 9 a.m., with the convoy scheduled to leave around 11. The families got an extra hour of time together though, because the bus taking the troops to the rendezvous with the rest of their company in Franklin was running behind schedule.
A total of 225 members of the 298th Transportation Company will be going to Fort Dix, N.J., later this week for six weeks of training before leaving for what is expected to be a one-year deployment. Master Sgt. Leonard Dulik said the ultimate destination for the company is not yet known, but they anticipate being sent overseas.
“We transport bulk petroleum. We have 5,000-gallon tankers that we haul,” Dulik said.
Dulik said the unit deploying from Hiller includes 42 men and eight women. Dulik said they range in age from 18 to 50, with most in their late 20s and early 30s. They come from within a 75-mile radius of Hiller, including West Virginia and Pittsburgh, as well as from Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Robert Lemon, 23, of Wheeling, W.Va., sat with his parents, Linda and Jim Ater, and his sister Shayna.
“It’s been kind of nerve-wracking. Just waiting around is driving us nuts, not knowing when they’re going and where they’re going,” Linda Ater said.
“I have no idea what to expect right now, because I’ve never been deployed,” Lemon said.
Sgt. Vince Gould, 46, of McClellandtown has seen a bit more action in his 28 years in the Reserve.
“I’ve been to Germany and Panama. We have a lot of young guys, and that’s a concern. I’m the second oldest guy in the company,” Gould said.
Although the unit received its official orders Friday, the soldiers were told two weeks ago to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Gould said he has a 13-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son that he’s looking forward to seeing again before leaving Franklin.
“I’m not looking forward to going wherever we’re going to go, but the experience will be good for the old guys and the young guys. They’ve got to realize when they signed that paper, they are willing to do whatever needs to be done,” Gould said.
Linda Bixler of Derry said her husband, Sgt. Raymond Bixler, has been calm throughout the preparations for the deployment.
“He was over there in Desert Storm, so he’s like this is going to be nothing,” Linda Bixler said.
Bixler said she’ll keep in touch with her husband by e-mail and cellular telephone whenever possible.
“We just have to think he’s over there keeping us safe,” said Linda Bixler’s aunt, Debbie Volchko of Greensburg.
David Berish, 42, originally from LaBelle, has been in the Army for 13 years.
This is his first deployment, though he was stationed in Germany while on active duty.
“I’m glad. There’s been too much waiting,” Berish said.
Berish said he moved out of his apartment in Washington to prepare for the deployment.
“They kept my security deposit. They say it’s in the Army regulations,” Berish said.
Berish was accompanied by his fianceé, Donna Hoover of Washington, and by his parents, Ronald and Juanita Berish of LaBelle. Ronald Berish is a Korean War veteran who retired from the army with 28 years of service.
“I had four boys. All four were in the Army. They love their country,” Juanita Berish said.
Shana Krajnak, 18, of Carmichaels and Gina Rhodes, 19, of Crucible attended Carmichaels Area High School together and say they joined the Reserve on the buddy program. Part of the reason they joined was for the educational benefits, though activation means putting their schooling on hold for now.
“I think it’s an experience everyone should go through. You find out who you are and what you’re made of. They build your self-esteem and self-confidence,” Krajnak said.
“We joined for the challenge, too,” Rhodes said. “People look down on the Army. I used to think it was for people who had no other options in life, but now I see it’s so much more than that.”
Rhodes said her biggest fear is being in a gas attack.
“Other than that, I’m ready. I’m excited,” Rhodes said.
Adam Lanier, 20, of Pittsburgh said this is the second time his college education has been interrupted. He had 26 textbooks packed in his duffle bag.
“It’s about half of my duffle bag. This is the second year that I’m behind now for school,” Lanier said.
Lanier and his family were a big hit with the children of other soldiers being deployed.
His parents brought Lanier’s two dogs with them for the send-off, a 4-month old black Labrador retriever and an 8-month-old golden retriever.
Sgt. William Truesdale of Vanmeter, Westmoreland County, was being seen off by his wife, Nicole, and 8-year-old daughter, Brittany. Brittany’s response to the activation was to hold her father in a bear hug.
“I’ve been in Greneda, Panama and Honduras. This is my first war activation. The rest were just invasions,” Truesdale said. “After 22 years, we’re used to it.”
Wendy Courser, 20, of Dunbar has been in the reserves for only the past nine months. She said the activation has been hard on her parents.
“They held back a bit, but it really killed my dad,” Courser said. “I was going to start school, but now I can’t. I don’t know where I’m going or how long I’m going to be gone. All I know is they’re going to feed me and make me carry stuff.”
Joshua Allen, 25, of Washington has been in the Army for eight years.
“I’ve never been overseas. I’d like to go just to see what’s there, but I probably won’t see much of it just driving through,” Allen said.
Allen said he’s been helping get other units deployed for the past year.
“I’ve been driving a truck getting everyone else mobilized. One day I got my phone call,” Allen said.
Sgt. Dana Sokol of Dunbar is also a truck driver in civilian life, so switching to driving a fuel truck for his activation isn’t much of a difference, except that it means leaving his wife, Wendy, and 10-month-old daughter Tialar. Wendy Sokol said the hardest part is getting prepared emotionally.
It’s also the first deployment for Sgt. Randy Naylor of Belle Vernon, despite 18 years in the Army.
“I had orders on the way to Desert Storm, but it never came through,” Naylor said. “It’s cool to be part of something like this. It’s just rough leaving the kids and family.”
Naylor has four children, ages 15, 14, eight and six. His wife, Dianne, is organizing a family support group for the unit.
Family members interested in the group can contact the Hiller Reserve Center at 724-785-7277 for more information about the support group.
Fayette County Fire Police Chaplain Jarrett Miller offered a prayer before the troops left, praying for their safety and for strength for their families.
“We must keep strong at times like this and trust in the Lord to take care of us,” Miller said.
He encouraged family members to call on him if they need any assistance.
The Brownsville police, Brownsville Ambulance Service and the Hiller, LaBelle, Tower Hill and South Brownsville volunteer fire departments escorted the convoy out of Brownsville.