Community Gives Troops Emotional Sendoff
By Anthony Gadson
and Stacey Creasy
Pilot News
PLYMOUTH � Marshall County residents turned out to show their support for the local soldiers who are going on active duty as part of the nation�s anti-terrorism campaign.
The crowd attempted to lend its strength to the families who wept as they had to say good-bye to loved ones, not knowing where they are going or when they will return.
About 100 soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry from the Ply-mouth National Guard Armory have been activated under Noble Eagle, part of Enduring Freedom which is the global war on terrorism.
Soldiers from communities across Marshall County and the region have been reporting to the armory in Plymouth.
A sendoff ceremony in their honor was conducted Thursday.
�This is the largest mobilization since the Korean War,� Sgt. Keith McMillan explained.
�I imagine that there are a few of these ceremonies going on across Indiana.�
The Company will join their sister battalion No. 293 at Camp Atterbury in Bartholomew County near Edinburgh.
Soldiers from Company C were able to spend the holidays with their families.
�It took us by surprise that we were going. We just got the news on Saturday, but we are glad that we were able to spend the holidays at home,� McMillan said.
Before the ceremony, family photos were taken as mothers and wives said emotional good-byes to their loved ones. It also gives the soldiers to take a piece of home with them.
�My family is actually the ones that are worried about my leaving,� Corporal Dexter White said. �I�m real happy to have been able to spend time with them, which is something that our sister company 293 was unable to do.�
The soldiers were read �A Soldier�s Prayer,� by a pastor affiliated with Culver Military Academy who had served 20 active years in the military during the Korean War, and also told the soldiers that he was in the exact same situation that they were in when he went to the Gulf.
Plymouth Mayor Jim Yeazel then presented the company with an American Flag and the flag of the city, both of which have flown over local government buildings.
The mayor wished the company the best of luck on their journeys.
Once the soldiers are at Camp Atterbury they will begin to work on individual soldier issues such as shots, physical and mental exams. They will then begin to take the training that is necessary for their mission.
More than 600 guardsmen from armories in Martinsville, Jasper, Washington, Linton, Vincennes and Tell City have been activated this week.
Under Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom, their missions may vary.
�That means they could be headed for anywhere in the world,� said Lt. Col. Jim McGillivray, a spokesman for the Indiana National Guard.
The guardsmen will be on active duty for a minimum of six months.
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