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Soldiers eager for Sinai mission But they (and their wives) know it will be hard to leave home and family By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Central Point police officer Charlie Asher got married on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Oregon Army National Guard announced that his unit - the 186th Infantry Battalion headquartered in Ashland - would be mobilized in the spring, train full time for 60 days, then be deployed on a peacekeeping mission on the Sinai Peninsula beginning in July 2002. The soldiers will return in January 2003. "She's not very happy about this," Asher said of his bride, Kim. "She was really upset at first. But she understands. "This is something I really believe in," added the sergeant, a battalion squad leader and a former military policeman in the regular Army. Asher, 34, is one of 484 members of the unit, nearly all citizen soldiers, heading to Sinai with the Multinational Force and Observers to help keep the peace between Egypt and Israel. The battalion has infantry line companies in Medford, Klamath Falls and Roseburg and a weapons company in Grants Pass. A battalion support attachment is stationed at the Medford armory. While it will be a tough assignment, most of the soldiers are enthusiastic about the mission, said Lt. Col. Daniel Cameron, the battalion's commanding officer. "A very high percentage of the soldiers are excited about doing this, about the opportunity, about the experience they will get out of this mission," he said of the largest operational deployment by the Oregon Guard since World War II. Brig. Gen. Raymond Byrne, commander of the Tigard-based 41st Separate Infantry Brigade (enhanced), which includes the Southern Oregon battalion, agreed. The unit, which will replace an Arkansas National Guard battalion, was selected because it is squared away, he said. "The readiness of the unit is top-rate," Byrne said. "It has good leadership, good soldiers. Dan Cameron is a great commander." The soldiers will staff checkpoints and observation posts and make reconnaissance patrols along the international border, he said. "Our soldiers will serve as diplomats as well as warriors during this peacekeeping operation," he said. "When our soldiers are deployed in the Sinai, as they are all over the world, they are helping to shape people's world opinion about the United States." The Southern Oregon unit will be augmented by another 45 soldiers who will fill non-infantry posts, such as legal, medical and public relations positions. The mission isn't expected to place the soldiers in harm's way, Byrne said. "They've had few, if any, violations of the treaty," he said of those already posted at the site. "It has been very benign. ... It's a pretty standard rotation." The soldiers will be well versed in what to expect before arriving, he said, making it a safe mission. "They will be in a protected environment with protected observation posts," he said. "There is security around the base." Moreover, this isn't the group's first overseas deployment, he said. The unit deployed 140 soldiers of its Bravo Co. to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early in 2000. In preparation for the deployment, the soldiers will train for 60 days at Fort Carson, Colo., late in the spring. They will study vehicle, aircraft and ship recognition. They will also become well acquainted with rules of engagement, desert survival skills and Arab customs and basic language. They won't be able to train for the climate, Cameron acknowledged. "It will be scorching hot in July," Cameron said. "There is not a lot you can do about that except hydrate, and educate them about how to treat heat injuries and how to prevent heat injuries. We just have to be very careful monitoring workload and activity when we first show up in country." Back home, family members will be able to talk to and see their loved ones live through video teleconference equipment at the battalion headquarters. For Specialist Blake Moser, 27, of Phoenix this will be his first overseas deployment. He and his wife, Jamie, have a 7-month-old baby. "She's upset I'm going and I'll miss her," he said. "But in the whole scheme of things, looking back, the time apart will seem small. It'll be tough for awhile, but it'll be worth it." His wife will move in with his sister while he's gone. Staff Sgt. Josh Godfrey of White City and his wife, Cheri, recently purchased a new home. They have two young children. "But one of the reasons I joined was to provide some kind of actual service to my country," he said. "This will be my first opportunity to go on a deployment like this. "We've got five months to prepare before I leave," he noted. Police officer Asher also plans to take advantage of that time to prepare for the deployment. He figures his income will drop about $1,000 a month while he is on assignment. But, like the others, he is also upbeat about the coming experience. "It'll be hard but I look forward to it," he said. "Everybody at work - the chief, the sergeants and the city - are very supportive." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.