First of Idaho Guard to return from Iraq

BOISE – The first group of soldiers from the Idaho-based Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team will return to the U.S. from Iraq beginning Oct. 23, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne announced Friday.

“They come home to a grateful state and a grateful nation,” Kempthorne said while standing in front of the 116th’s headquarters at Boise’s Gowen Field. “This is a day I’ve looked forward to for some 20 months, and I know the families throughout the state of Idaho have looked forward to this announcement that the soldiers the 116th Combat Brigade Team will soon be homeward bound.”

After an advance team of 296 members – mainly from Idaho – of the 116th arrives at Fort Lewis, Wash., on Oct. 23, planeloads of soldiers from other states will arrive at the base regularly for the process of demobilization and reintegration into civilian life. The next unit of 313 Idaho-based soldiers is scheduled to arrive at Fort Lewis on Oct. 30.

Because the readiness program for soldiers to return to civilian life takes about seven to 10 days to complete, the governor said he expects the first Idaho-based soldiers will set foot in their home state between Nov. 1 and Nov. 10 and will be flown from Fort Lewis to Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Lewiston or Spokane, depending on their final destination.

The arrival of 116th soldiers at Fort Lewis from Iraq will continue through Nov. 18 and leaders of the 116th said all of the brigade should be “off orders” – no longer under federal command – by the end of November.

The 4,300-member 116th is made up of citizen soldiers from 22 states, and its largest contingent – about 1,800 soldiers – is Idaho residents. More than 150 of the reservists are from Kootenai County.

Most of the other soldiers in the 116th are from Montana, Oregon, Utah and North Dakota.

Mobilized in May 2004, the 116th trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Polk, La., before being shipped to Iraq last December to begin what was to be a yearlong assignment patrolling northern Iraq. It was the largest single mobilization in the history of the Idaho Army National Guard and Idaho has consistently had more reservists per capita stationed in Iraq than any other state.

Leaders of the 116th had previously said they expected units to begin returning to the United States by Christmas or Thanksgiving at the earliest, but the sooner-than-expected demobilization was made possible by the scheduled Nov. 3 handoff of the 116th’s peacekeeping duties in Kirkuk to the 1st Brigade of the Army’s 101st Air Assault Division, Kempthorne said. He added that officials did not want to create expectations for a specific date until they were confident the transfer of authority between the 116th and the 1st brigades would happen.

Ten members of the 116th have been killed in Iraq, including Idahoans Cpl. Carrie L. French, 19, of Caldwell, Army Staff Sgt. Virgil R. Case, 37, of Mountain Home and Sgt. John Ogburn, 45, of Fruitland.

“We must acknowledge that not everyone is coming home,” said Kempthorne. “To those families who hear that the 116th is coming home, but their loved ones have paid the ultimate sacrifice, let me just say they will never be forgotten.”

Col. John Goodale, deputy commanding general of the Idaho Army National Guard, said families of 116th members returning home are being encouraged to attend special workshops at Guard armories around the state in the next few weeks to help prepare them for potential problems.

“What we have is family support groups along with Veterans Administration and several other agencies going to each one of the armories and sitting with families and briefing them on what to expect when their soldier comes back, letting them know counseling is available for them,” Goodale said.

Kempthorne added that families, employers and neighbors need to recognize that members of the 116th will need time, understanding and support as they transition back to civilian life after so many months in a war zone.

“It’s important for all of us to realize that we have taken our citizen soldiers and they have become warriors, they have experienced and seen things that few people have,” he said. “They have changed in the course of this time and their families have changed. We know there will be an adjustment period and there needs to be an understanding expressed by everyone involved.”