Guardsmen recognized before deployment

Missouri National Guardsmen from third platoon, 548th Transportation Company stand at attention before being deployed to Afghanistan during their deployment ceremony at Ike Skelton Training Site in Jefferson City. (Photo by Nancy Lane)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- About 45 Missouri National Guardsmen from Detachment 1, 548th Transportation Company, formerly of Centertown, were recognized Monday during a deployment ceremony at Ike Skelton Training Site.

The detachment recently left the now closed Centertown armory and merged into its main unit, the 548th Transportation Company, of Trenton, as the company's third platoon.

The Guardsmen from third platoon will join 170 additional Guardsmen from its main unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, where they'll train for about a month before deploying to Afghanistan.

Missouri Gov. Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon was among those on hand to offer the Citizen Soldiers his support.

"On behalf of the people of Missouri, I wish you a safe and successful mission," Nixon said. "Your service is vital to the security of the United States and Afghanistan. You are bringing a valuable set of skills and training as part as our military effort in Afghanistan."

Nixon recognized the importance of the Guardsmen's mission based on his personal experience.

"When I was in Afghanistan this past summer and the summer before, it was clear to me that our success in this area of the world depends in large part on our mobility - on our ability to move people and cargo quickly, efficiently and dependably," Nixon said. "You have proven skills to keep our armed forces supplied to help meet that challenge of mobility."

The mission of the third platoon is expected to be transporting all types of equipment, food, water, ammunition and other types of supplies throughout the Afghanistan theater using Palletized Load System trucks. The trucks have a self-loading and unloading capability for their demountable flat cargo beds.

It is the first deployment for about two-thirds of the platoon.

Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, encouraged his Soldiers to keep in contact with their Families and rely on their training.

"If you do that, everything will be fine," Danner said.

It was a difficult day for the Soldiers who will be leaving their Families, including 1st Lt. James Fountain, the third platoon leader.

"But it's also exciting," said Fountain, who lives in Affton. "My first goal is to bring 45 of my Soldiers home safe and sound back to their Families, and my secondary goal is to support our local forward operating bases."

Fountain, who has been in the Guard for four years after eight years on active duty, called the platoon the best he's ever been a part of.

"I'm blessed," he said. "I'm so lucky to have been given command of these guys."

Since March 7, the unit has been conducting pre-deployment training with the Training and Evaluation Battalion at Camp Clark in Nevada. Fountain was impressed with how the battalion prepared his Soldiers.

"I give them four stars," Fountain said. "They did a wonderful job training us."

Staff Sgt. Larry Lynch, a squad leader, echoed Fountain's sentiments.

"I think we had excellent training down there," said Lynch, who lives in Jefferson City. "Everybody was motivated to get it done and get it done right."

Lynch praised the professionalism of the Guardsmen he'll deploy with.

"You couldn't ask for better guys," Lynch said. "They are mission focused and you can talk to them about anything. We are like a Family and while we are leaving Family, we're still going over with Family."

Although he doesn't want to leave his Family, Lynch said he is ready for deployment.

"I'm excited to go over there and accomplish the mission in a safe and speedy way," he said. "But I'm already anxious to come back home to Family and friends. The buildup has been so long, we are just kind of ready to go, and get it done so we can come home."

With advancements in and increased availability of technology, Lynch said he should be able to keep in touch with his Family at home pretty easily though e-mail and phone calls. But he also plans to use the more archaic option of hand-writing letters.

"I'll try to do it weekly and as often as I can," Lynch said.

Pfc. Christopher Danels, of Chaffee, will have some catching up to do on his training at Fort Bliss. Danels was granted leave and missed most of the training after his daughter, Cherish Elizabeth Grace Danels, was born March 11.

"I thought that was pretty nice of them," said Danels, who has one other child. "It's going to be pretty tough to leave after my daughter just being born, but it's going to give me more drive to make it home."

Danels said he has some experience driving the pelletized load systems from his advanced individual training, but looks forward to getting some more time behind the wheel at Fort Bliss.

"I'm looking forward to the training at Fort Bliss," Danels said.

Although he missed some of the bonding that occurred during the recent training, Danels, who has been in the guard for two years, is confident in the Guardsmen he'll be serving with.

"I know it's a pretty good group and right now I'm feeling really safe about going over to Afghanistan with them," Danels said.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.blog.moguard.com

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For more information about this release, please contact Matthew J. Wilson at 573-638-9500 EXT. 4853 or e-mail him at matthew.j.wilson4@us.army.mil.