Ephrata unit to stay in Iraq

Family members 'shocked' to hear news, but keep a brave face

Marcee McLain had begun cleaning her house and planning a homecoming for her husband, Merle, to return from the war in Iraq.

Those plans can be put off for awhile now.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld approved the redeployment of 20,000 National Guard soldiers now fighting the war in Iraq. Included in the group was the Ephrata-based 1161st Washington

National Guard Transportation Company, which was the first in Washington state to have been activated to go to war.

McLain, who is the family services coordinator for the unit, said she andother family members are "shocked" and "surprised" to hear the news, but everyone she has spoken to continues to support their soldiers.

"We were ready to see our soldiers and see our families again," McLain said.

Army Brigadier General Gordon Toney, whose charges include the 1161st company, said on the National Guard's Web site that the deployment can be expected to last up to 120 days.

"Understanding that this presents a tremendous disappointment to family members and loved ones who have anticipated the return of their soldiers, I ask you now to muster additional courage to be patient and supportive," Toney said to the family members.

"Your support is critical and your patience is essential to their success as they continue their missions," he added.

The extension of the troops' service is necessary to put down the insurgent violence that has plagued Iraq during the last few weeks, according to Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld has said in press reports that the military needs transportation units, which is what the 1161st is trained for.

The redeployment also breaks a commitment the Pentagon made not to keep soldiers in Iraq for more than one year.

Toney said the extended deployment of the 1161st is a "note of compliment" because the unit has been identified by the U.S. Central Command as having performed "admirably and successfully" while in the

theater of operations.

After leaving Ephrata in February 2003, the soldiers of the 1161st expected to spend about six months away from home. Last fall, McLain said the soldiers were supposed to come home and had their stay extended for the first time.

McLain spoke to her husband, who is a platoon sergeant, Sunday morning, and she said many of the soldiers are also unhappy but aware of their duty.

"He said, 'Hey, we have a mission to do,'" McLain said.

But McLain is still sad that she won't be able to see her husband within a month.

"I've gone through two boxes of Kleenex this week," she said.

Susan Bischoff, whose daughter, Shana Gallaway, is a specialist for the unit, said she had heard rumors of the deployment before the official announcement, so she was not surprised to hear of the extension.

The families and soldiers were told at the beginning of the deployment that the deployment could last up to two years, and Bischoff said she doesn't feel misled.

"I think they (the military) were very up front from the beginning," she said, adding that she will not criticize President Bush because she does not feel as though it benefits the troops.

Bischoff last spoke to her daughter on Friday, and she said Gallaway was initially upset but later said they knew of the possibility when they signed up.

Gallaway is a single mother, and Bischoff has cared for her now 19-month-old daughter, Emma, since the deployment. Gallaway was home in January for a two-week furlough, and Bischoff said Emma did not remember her very well.

But the deployment has helped Bischoff grow much closer to her granddaughter, which has been a bright light in the difficulty of the deployment.

"There are good things that come from this. They're sometimes hard to find," Bischoff said.