More than 400 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery got a noisy send-off Friday afternoon at the Pepsi Center from a couple thousand of their closest friends and family.
It is the largest deployment of the Colorado Army National Guard since World War II, when the 157th helped liberate the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, Germany.
The Colorado Springs-based unit is leaving “to put the seal on victory in Iraq,” said Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards.
“I want you back safe and sound 12 months from now,” Edwards told the soldiers.
The 157th is set to depart today from Buckley Air Force Base for Fort Hood, Texas. There, soldiers will train for their Iraq mission of supporting infantry-style patrols and other security operations.
Unit commander Lt. Col. Al Morris said he could not disclose the group’s specific destination in Iraq.
At the Friday farewell, children on parents’ and grandparents’ laps in arena seats strained to glimpse their citizen soldiers on the floor of the Pepsi Center. Guard members beamed and waved back.
“Where’s Daddy?” asked 4-year-old Kian Bendico. It was the question of the day.
Kian’s mother, Carisa Bendico, knows she’ll hear it again in the months ahead.
“I tell them he’s going to protect his family and his country,” she said. “I’m very proud of what he does.”
Kian and his brother, Landen, 2 1/2, understand their father, Gene, is going away, Bendico said, but they have a hard time grasping how long he’ll be away.
The Colorado Army National Guard has launched a program that allows soldiers to perform more of their training at local armories and at Fort Carson. It reduces the time spent at the mobilization station — away from home and civilian employers — by as much as three months, Edwards said.
Gov. Bill Ritter said he had two messages for the unit, one given as the Guard’s commander in chief and one as governor.
“As your commander I ask you to serve well,” Ritter said. “You have a long and storied history of serving this state and country well.”
The 157th was deployed for homeland defense in 2001 and 2003 and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The unit also gave aid during a salmonella outbreak in Alamosa in March 2008 and assisted with security for the Democratic National Convention last August. Last month, the unit delivered medical supplies during a blizzard.
“As governor of this state, (I) thank you,” Ritter said. “While you’re away, we will incessantly pray for you and remember you. While you’re away, we’ll take care of your families. . . . We will care for you upon your return.”
Guard supporters braved snowy, slushy weather Friday, traveling from across the state for the Denver event. The battalion has units in Longmont, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and La Junta.
It all ended with a reception and cake.
“I cried,” Amber Richard said afterward, when reunited temporarily with her husband, Michael. “I roll with the punches, but I cried.”
The Colorado National Guard has 35 units, each with specialized skills. The Colorado Army National Guard has 3,700 members. The Colorado Air National Guard has 1,500. More than 25 percent of the Colorado Army National Guard will be deployed in 2009, officials said.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
