It was part of three weekends of ceremonies throughout the state honoring 81st Brigade Combat Team soldiers. Among the dignitaries on hand were U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, Tumwater Mayor Ralph Osgood and Centralia Mayor Pro Tem Bonnie Canaday.
The 81st is headquartered in Seattle but includes units from throughout Washington, as well as the California Army National Guard, according to the military. About 2,400 soldiers from Washington and about 900 from California were part of the deployment force supporting the Iraq War from August 2008 to August 2009.
It was part of a day of reacclimation training for the soldiers and their families, intended to help them reconnect with their families and homes after months spent away, Lt. Col. Jeff Sabatine said. The sessions will continue next month.
Soldiers are getting a lot of good stuff out of this, he said.
In interviews, soldiers shared stories of their routines away from home and how drastically different they are.
Master Sgt. Eric Shriner, a Kirkland native, has spent 20 years in the National Guard. He lives in Yelm and reports to Camp Murray for a full-time job. But for almost the past year, he has lived at Qayyarah Airfield West in Iraq. Better known to troops as Q-West, the base sits about a half-hour south of Mosul. His mission was dangerous: escorting shipments including food and medicine down roads that could be littered with roadside bombs.
He recounted giant dust storms that arose unpredictably, forcing troops to stay indoors on base for up to a week at a time. When temperatures reached 130 degrees, he worked night shifts. In the rainy winter, mud was everywhere.
His day was planned by the military some workdays were four hours, some were 12. Usually, there was one day a week to rest.
Then he had to adjust to the changes at home. His 23-year-old daughter had a baby. He also left behind an 8-year-old son. His wife, Christine, made a lot of changes to the house. They talked almost daily via webcam morning in Yelm, late night in Iraq. But the pain of separation continued.
Its really hard, Christine Shriner said.
But she added: I know what his job is, you know. I believe in what he does.
Shriner now knows hell be back at home for two years. After that, he could be deployed again.
The same goes for Sgt. Terrell Fox of Seattle. He left a son, now 10, and a daughter, now 4, about a year ago for training, then deployment to Iraq. And he missed his wife, La Quisha. It was his first time out of the country. He found that the condition in Iraq was better than what he had heard.
When we deployed, the stress level was up, but going over there really wasnt that bad, Fox added.
He said making the transition from overseas deployment to life at home is more stressful than going in the other direction. Now the citizen soldier has returned to his home life, working as a security officer at the University of Washington Medical Center and continuing his work with the National Guard in Seattle.
He noticed changes. For instance, his 10-year-old son, who became the man of the house, now is more helpful with chores.
You missed a lot in that year, Fox said.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869
mbatcheldor@theolympian.com
