80 area troops heading to Iraq

Most are newer Guard members, but a handful have asked to go back, just four months after returning home.

For Sgt. 1st Class Mike Smith, coming home from Iraq only meant that he was leaving his fellow soldiers behind.

"He hasn't been mentally here since he's been back," said Smith's girlfriend, Carrie Johnson. "His mind has been over there because there are still men over there."

So it didn't astonish Johnson when Smith, a Missouri National Guard soldier from Sedgewickville, Mo., told her he had made a decision that would leave many people scratching their heads.

He was going back.

"I knew he was going to say it before he said it," she said. "Call it intuition. It kills me that he's going back. What can I do? It's his life. I'll be here when he gets back."

Smith will be among as many as 80 troops from the Cape Girardeau-based 1140th Engineer Battalion who will join the 500-member 110th Engineer Battalion and be activated next month.

Most of those are newer Guard members who were in basic training or military occupation specialty training when the 1140th was deployed last year. But a handful, like Smith, have asked to go back, just four months after they returned home.

"It will be my third tour over there," said Smith, 45, who is a logger in civilian life. "I know there's always that possibility that I could get killed. Our job before was looking for roadside bombs. But it's just what I do."

Missouri Guard spokeswoman Capt. Tamara Spicer said the Kansas City-area 110th Engineer Battalion's peace-time mission is similar to that of the 1140th. Just as the 110th sent soldiers with the 1140th when it was deployed, the 1140th is helping round out the 110th's battle roster.

"We don't know what their mission will be once they get there and I won't speculate," Spicer said. "But it doesn't surprise me that people are going back. It's a fact of our life."

Spicer said that those who go to Iraq will participate in a deployment ceremony on Aug. 12 at Kauffman Stadium -- home of baseball's Kansas City Royals. She said the troops can expect to spend 12 months in Iraq. Full orders are typically for up to two years with some of that time spent processing and training stateside.

According to Spc. Joseph Dilley, a spokesman for the 1140th, the mobilization will begin in early August at Fort Riley, Kan., and can take anywhere from one to three months.

The unit will receive new equipment, update military records and review medical files to make sure all troops are fit for deployment. Headquarters company in Cape Girardeau has 14 to 17 soldiers who might deploy; B Company is looking to send 11 to 18 troops; C Company has 17 to 20; and A Company has 16 to 22.

Sgt. 1st Class Ron Hon is assigned to the 1140th's Charlie Company in Sikeston. He is a full-time Guardsman who has deployed to Panama, Honduras, Alaska, Germany and Japan throughout his 27-year military career.

He plans to head back to Iraq as well. Hon feels the knowledge and experience he received from his most recent Iraqi tour will help him since he knows what to expect and how to survive.

"I learned a lot about the nature of the people and their habitat," Hon said. "I know how to deal and survive such a hot, desert environment. I know what it's like over there and can pass what I have learned to other soldiers to help them out."

Smith said he too believes he can be of more help to soldiers who will be new to such a hostile environment.

"If I can share my knowledge with one other person and save their life, I've done something worthwhile," he said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137