JACKSON - Seven years ago, I climbed aboard a military bus at Fort Bliss, Texas, for the two-hour ride north to McGregor Missile Range - one of several missile ranges encompassed by the White Sands Missile Testing complex in the Tularosa Valley deserts near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
That bus carried military brass, television and newspaper reporters, defense contractors and then-3rd District U.S. Rep. Sonny Montgomery, D-Meridian - the nation's most influential congressman on National Guard issues.
At the isolated desert missile testing range, I watched a number of my Guardsmen friends and neighbors in east central Mississippi operate a wickedly effective air defense weapon called the Avenger. Since the weapon is manufactured at the Raytheon Systems plant in Forest, I had a particular interest in seeing the performance of both the Guard personnel and the weapon.
Both were impressive in the nation's first National Guard live-firing of the weapon. The 204th turns the "weekend warrior" National Guard myth on its ear. These guys are trained, ready and capable of getting in the fight.
For more than a year, these Guardsmen will now be separated from their families doing just that on active duty.
It was Montgomery's influence in the 1990s that paved the way for the Mississippi Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery to become the first National Guard organization in the nation to receive the Avenger Air Defense System.
The Avenger system is a mobile missile launch system mounted on a HumVee that can launch eight Stinger missiles and fire about 100 50-caliber machine gun rounds.
Officials said the Avenger provides a short-range air defense system with shoot-on-the-move capabilities using the Stinger missile. The system carries eight Stinger missiles in two launch pods ready for rapid firing.
The mission of the 204th ADA is to defend against low-altitude aircraft.
Mississippi currently has 4,813 Guard and Reserve personnel on active duty. Just after 3:30 a.m. last Sunday, about 170 members of the 204th, based in Newton, left for Fort Bliss. Members of the unit also are stationed in Decatur, Bay Springs, Forest and Morton.
The 204th was mobilized as part of the homeland defense mission in the continental United States.
While at Fort Bliss, the soldiers will train on the Avenger system before deploying to the Washington area to replace an active duty battalion.
After watching the 204th in action seven years ago at Alamogordo, I know the 204th will serve this nation well. These Mississippi soldiers will be providing the air defense for the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.
That's how much faith the Defense Department has our state's Guard.
I have mixed feelings at their departure. I'm relieved that they weren't deployed to the Middle East. The 204th came close to shipping out to Kuwait.
It's personal. Many soldiers of the 204th are friends or the sons of friends. Several of these young soldiers were kids whose high school football games I covered. Some I taught in Sunday School. A handful include the sons of dear friends.
One has to think back only to Sept. 11, 2001, to know that the duty chosen for the 204th is hazardous and important. And while I've seen some of these soldiers in action and know firsthand their skills and courage, I can't help but worry about them and their loved ones back home.
These Mississippi soldiers and their families deserve our recognition of their sacrifices. Most of all, they deserve our prayers and support.
