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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 1, 2006 Debbie and Clyde Hicks are hoping to fill 160 baskets with goodies for National Guard troops and their families. About 100 local part-time soldiers are scheduled for mobilization in March for a year-long mission to Afghanistan. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven A little thanks to citizen-soldiers, families By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Vietnam combat veteran Clyde Hicks paused for a moment as he packed baskets for local National Guard families whose loved ones are bound for Afghanistan. "I was drafted — I didn’t necessarily believe in that war," observed the 58-year-old veteran. "And I can’t say I believe in any war. "The issue at hand is doing something to let the soldiers know the community is behind them," he added. With the community’s help, Hicks, 58, and his wife, Debbie, hope to fill 155 donated baskets with goodies for the families of the citizen-soldiers in the Oregon Army National Guard expected to head to Afghanistan in June. They plan to give the baskets to the families during a ceremony on Saturday at the Medford Armory. Some 200 local soldiers from the Guard’s 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment headquartered in Ashland are heading to Afghanistan. They are part of a 900-soldier contingent the Oregon Guard is deploying to help train the Afghan army, said Kay Fristad, a Guard spokeswoman in Salem. Advertisement "This is the largest overseas deployment of the Oregon Army Guard since World War II," she said. "It’s a largely volunteer mission. We had volunteers we had to turn away. This is a mission they really believe in." The local soldiers hail from Ashland to Cave Junction, from Jacksonville to Klamath Falls, she said. They are scheduled to be deployed to Camp Shelby, Miss., on March 2 to begin 90 days of training before departing for Afghanistan, added Maj. Chet Cary of the 1-186th. Their tour in Afghanistan will be 12 months, he added. "Some of our people are over there now doing reconnaissance," he said of checking out the conditions the main group will encounter. The gesture of support is much appreciated, he said, noting the Hickses also sent gifts to local Guard members who served in Iraq. "It’s a really nice thing for them to do," he said. Noting he has been in uniform as a young man when there was no show of support, Hicks figured it is the least they could do. Drafted into the Army at age 18, he served a year with an armored cavalry unit in Vietnam, where an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) damaged his hearing. "We’re asking people and local businesses to donate items to help us fill these baskets," he said, adding that Harry and David donated the baskets, pistachios, yellow ribbons and candy. "People don’t have to come up with 155 things," his wife said. "If someone wants to drop off two packs of gum, that’s OK, too. We just want to fill the baskets. "People can drop off a gift for them here (Medford Armory)," she added. "It can be a box of candy or a can of nuts, just something to say ‘thank you.’ " In addition to showing appreciation for the soldiers, the Hickses say they want to honor the families. "They are also sacrificing by allowing their husbands to go," she said. "When you separate a family, the sacrifice is huge." The couple helps organize local churches to have pastors and other representatives check on families to provide support, she said. The Hickses were putting camouflaged balloons in the Rogue Valley Mall on Tuesday. "We salute you — God be with you," reads each balloon. "We’d like to send them off with a citywide recognition," she said. Anyone wanting to contribute can contact the Hickses at 899-1669. Ceremony marks mobilization The formal mobilization ceremony for the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Brigade combat team of some 900 soldiers bound for Afghanistan will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. A representative of the estimated 200 soldiers from the Guard's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment headquartered in Ashland will attend the ceremony. About 200 local citizen-soldiers from the local unit will be among the 900 headed overseas. Gov. Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., and Maj. Gen. Raymond Rees, the adjutant general, will attend the ceremony. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at A little thanks to citizen-soldiers, families ">[email protected] . 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