Returning soldiers get special gift

On Sept. 4, 2010, Sgt. Corey Meyer told his second family it was time to go to work. Together, they left for Iraq to do the business of soldiers – work he said transcends a job description.

“Once the deployment came around, everyone was asked to do a job that was way above and beyond their normal scope of duty,” Meyer said Saturday as he stood again in the local armory before all the soldiers with whom he left. It was his first reunion with his entire overseas family since their deployment ended.

When the local members of the 145th Brigade Support Battalion of the Idaho Army National Guard left to join Operation New Dawn, they did so as mechanics, office administrators and other support specialists, Meyer said.

When they got to Iraq, many were split off from their company and assigned to protective service details, convoy security and field artillery forward operating bases.

In recognition and as a welcome home, Lewiston Mayor Kevin Poole partnered with Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin, Buck Knives and several local veterans groups to give soldiers one-of-a-kind knives.

On Saturday, they were presented to 38 men and women in Lewiston, while more than 200 were presented in Post Falls to other soldiers at the same time.

“This is just a small token of our thanks to you,” Poole said.

Larkin had given soldiers from Post Falls similar knives when they returned from a previous deployment. Poole said Larkin mentioned the idea of repeating the gesture again for members of the 145th in an August meeting.

But Larkin said he needed help raising money to cover material expenses. Buck donates the labor.

More than $14,000 was raised by the end of October, including a $2,500 grant Idaho State Veterans Home Administrator Sarah Yoder got for the project.

The money was enough to cover the costs and also split $1,000 among the families of two fallen soldiers and one injured soldier from the Post Falls armory, Poole said.

The knives have each soldier’s name, rank, unit and “Operation New Dawn” engraved on the blade. The blade pattern will never be forged again, as Buck destroyed the mold after the 280 knives were made.

Lewiston police Chief and Vietnam veteran Steven Orr told the group that sometimes when veterans return, the words “thank you” and “welcome home” don’t seem to carry the weight or meaning they should. But he said they do matter and he and other veterans from past conflicts who showed up for the ceremony could attest to that.

“We deeply, deeply appreciate your service and courage, your willingness to step forward and leave your families to protect our country, to protect our honor,” Orr said.