National Guard soldiers prepare for deployment

Some soldiers would tell you that half of military life is spent standing in line. The other half is preparing for war.

That's what more than 500 soldiers in the National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion spent this weekend doing in Perryville at the Missouri National Guard Armory. With so many uniforms around, the gymnasium-sized room took on a definite tinge of military green. Armfuls of paperwork and files were stacked on rows of folding tables that were lit by glowing computer screens and manned by military personnel.

The soldiers received mobilization orders to support the war in Iraq last week, and will report to their individual armories across the region Jan. 3. The Missouri National Guard made the announcement Monday, just days after ordering the soldiers to Perryville on Friday, Saturday and today for "belt-line inspections."

The 1140th's executive officer, Lt. Col. Jerry Sanders, said the inspections benefit the soldiers.

"If we don't get their paperwork right, they don't get paid right," Sanders said.

The 1140th was put on alert Nov. 6 and received orders for its soldiers for federal active duty for up to 18 months. After reporting to their armories, the soldiers will move to a mobilization station at Fort Riley, Kan. The Guard did not say where the troops ultimately will serve in support of operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Noble Eagle. The unit's last mission was to help soldiers bound for Iraq to train by participating in war games in California's Mojave Desert.

The inspections at Perryville are step one, Sanders said. The process will repeat at Fort Riley.

"What we're doing here is checking everything and then saying, 'OK, you're ready for deployment,'" he said. "At Fort Riley, they'll check everything again and say, 'Yep, you're right.'"

The battalion has detachments in Farmington, Fredericktown, Perryville, Jackson, Sikeston, Portageville, Charleston and Caruthersville, with 500 troops under the command of Lt. Col. John Akers and Command Sgt. Maj. Tommy Brown.

When commanders Akers and Brown arrived in Perryville mid-afternoon, they asked Sanders to direct them to the starting point of the process.

"Rank has no privilige in this process," Sanders said. "Everybody has to do it."

Soldiers made their way through 15 different stations in the armory. Each station handled a different topic, including legal issues, financial matters, medical records, immunizations, dental checks and drug screenings.

The military will fix those things within its ability just to get a soldier ready, Sanders said.

"If something is wrong with their teeth, then we've got to fix it before we can send them over," he said. "If they need to get out of a lease, the lawyers can help with that. But if you've got credit card debt to pay off, they can't help."

Familiar drill

Spc. Timothy Glore of Potosi, Mo., knows the drill. This was his second beltline inspection after a previous deployment to Panama. He said if you're prepared properly, the inspection is easy.

"It all depends on how bad their paperwork is screwed up or what they're missing," he said.

Jackson resident Agnes Liley is a single mother of four and a personnel sergeant. She's been with the National Guard for 10 years and was offered the opportunity to stay home while her unit is deployed because of her family situation, but she declined.

"It's what I signed up to do," she said. "Having kids doesn't make you any better than anybody else. It's my job."

Her children will stay with relatives while she's gone.

Sgt. 1st Class Mike Smith of Sedgewickville, Mo., sat down at a table to eat his military-style lunch on a tray before heading to medical checks. Smith, too, has been through other pre-deployment inspections. He served in Iraq during the Gulf War and has a good idea of what's coming.

"It's not much different for me this time other than I'm taking a lot of guys with me who've never experienced it before," he said, looking around at the room full of green uniforms.

His advice to others: "Pay attention to your leaders, do what's asked of you and it'll be OK."

One of those soldiers was Pvt. 1st Class Gina Phillips of Jefferson City, whose unit is based in Cape Giradeau. Holding a stack of paperwork and files in her arms, she waited in one of the room's many folding chairs to talk to a financial advisor.

"Mainly I've got questions about pay and life insurance stuff," she said. "Especially since I'm in college and I'm wondering when I'm going to get to graduate."

She called the complicated gathering a "beginning process" but said it didn't phase her.

"This is a bare minimum of what we're about to experience," she said.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160