HATTIESBURG - There were smiles and tears at Camp Shelby Wednesday during a deployment ceremony for the 155th Brigade Combat Team. Many of the soldiers' family members described the bittersweet moment - knowing their loved ones would be home for Christmas but in war-torn Iraq within weeks.
The 155th was called up in June and has been training at the sprawling 136,000-acre south Mississippi base near Hattiesburg since then. The training included a monthlong stint in the Mojave Desert at Fort Irwin, Calif.
On Wednesday, a large American flag whipped in the wind as well-wishers crowded into the 3,000-seat bleachers and spilled onto nearby grassy areas. Young children darted across the damp parade field under overcast skies to steal a last-minute hug from relatives as the unit fell into formation.
Maj. Gen. Harold Cross, Mississippi's adjutant general, said the 4,000 soldiers from Mississippi, Arkansas and Vermont "will go from here to meet the enemies of the United States of America as the watchmen on the wall of freedom."
Cross said the 155th would have the best equipment and training available to carry out its mission.
"I just returned from Iraq and I've seen the armor that you'll have. Every vehicle, 100 percent of those vehicles that roll with you north across the border to Iraq from Kuwait, are armored," he said, prompting applause from the crowd.
Young children waved small flags high above their heads while many adults wiped tears as Gov. Haley Barbour and the Guard's top brass inspected the ridged formation of soldiers.
"I'm proud, indeed I am humbled to be your commander in chief," Barbour told the Mississippi troops taking part in the ceremony. "We wish you success, victory in the war on terror."
Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, commander of the 1st Army, prompted an eruption of cheers and applause as he yelled "Dixie" and the sea of troops shouted back "Thunder." The 155th's nickname is Dixie Thunder.
Honore said the combat team was "fit to fight. They are ready to go. They are confident, competent and they're disciplined and that's what we need in a warrior."
After the ceremony, Pvt. Brandon Dye's 6-year-old daughter, McKenzie, sat on her father's knee and cleaned his glasses as he described his reasons for joining the National Guard.
"I'm a patriot and you can't just tell your children to be a patriot and not do anything," said the 30-year-old father of two. "You can't just talk the talk. You have to walk the walk."
Dye, of Hattiesburg, said he re-enlisted in November after an earlier eight-year stint in the Guard and hopes his experience will benefit students when he completes his degree in history at the University of Southern Mississippi and becomes a teacher.
Melinda Arnold of Carrire wore a shirt adorned with photographs of her husband and son - Sgt. Larry Arnold, 46, and Spc. Robert Arnold, 20, - both of whom are assigned to the 155th.
"I'm proud and sad," she said. "We're going to go home and cherish every moment with them."
The soldiers were granted a 10-day leave to spend with their families before leaving for Iraq.
Tammy Sumrall of George county, with 22-month-old grandson in tow, waited for the arrival of her son, Sgt. Bryan C. Sumrall, 23.
Sumrall said the child, who wore a red hooded jacket pulled tightly over his head, had been carrying a picture of his father around the house during Bryan Sumrall's weeks of training. She said separation will be difficult.
"The holidays mean more than they ever have before," she said.
Laura Cooley agreed. She said she was eager to spend the holidays with her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Cooley of Lucedale.
"That is the most important thing," Cooley said. "It's going to be a big deal that they get to spend time with their families."
While most of the soldiers hurried to get home, Guard leaders were just as eager to ensure their families that the troops are prepared.
"We trained hard, we learned a lot of good lessons, we've prepared ourselves and now it's time to go and do our duty," said Col. Augustus Collins, commander of the 155th.
Cross has also been insistent in recent days that the soldiers are prepared. He told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he visited Iraq last week and saw that "100 percent of the vehicles that the 155th will take forward are armored with level 1, 2 or 3 armor."
Level 1 armor is added during the manufacturing of a vehicle, level 2 is manufactured kits that can be added in the field and level 3 is "locally fabricated and installed kits," 2nd Lt. Andy Haggard, a Mississippi Guard spokesman said.
The military's equipment in Iraq has become an area of contention since 23 Army reservists, three from Mississippi, claimed their vehicles were not safe and refused to transport fuel in October.
The issue popped up again earlier this month when a member of Tennessee's 278th Regimental Combat Team asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld why "soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles."
The combat team consists of about 3,500 Mississippi Army National Guard members from the 155th Separate Armored Brigade. Other soldiers in the team are from Company B from the 1st Battalion 172nd Armor from Vermont and Company C 212th Signal Battalion from Arkansas.
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