Our journey began like it did for many others that came before us, beginning with the hard goodbye. Many of us had to leave behind young children, loving spouses, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. However, once we arrived into Iraq we strove in leaps and bounds to fill in the shoes of the 11th Signal Brigade.
The Personnel Section, which is where I currently work, had many jobs to cover down on, including some that we as a National Guard unit would typically not deal with. Thanks to great leadership and a dedicated team, we pulled together and completely re-organized the entire section to enable us to better meet the needs of our subordinate units.
We now function as a close-knit family, always looking out for each other. One of my duties is administering the Rest and Recuperation program, which is the tool utilized to get troops back home to their families for a few weeks during the deployment. I also deal with the awards that each individual soldier will be receiving once we return back home.
I was fortunate enough to get out on my rest and recuperation leave in January. I, however, chose to go to the United Kingdom, England in particular. I met a bunch of friends there and took in all the wonderful sights of such a historic land. What I didn’t realize, however, is that awaiting my arrival into Banbury was their worst snowstorm in a long time. The entirety of my trip it snowed nonstop, completely laying a beautiful veil of white on the ground.
Thus far everything has been peaceful, as peaceful as one can imagine a war zone being. Our work as a whole has remained uninterrupted, and where we work is the most beautiful lake that I enjoy visiting and look out at when I am feeling a bit homesick. Its often-choppy waters reflect the sun very elegantly and, for just a brief moment, everything seems at peace.
Sgt. Casey Messick is a human resources specialist assigned to the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, a unit of the Delaware National Guard. The unit, now deployed to Iraq, tentatively is expected to return to Delaware in October.
Milford, Del. —
