Last Vt. troops ship out
Nervousness, excitement, tears at ceremony
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Timothy Tanner of Barre says goodbye to his two-year-old daughter Angelina during Sunday's Vermont Guard Deployment at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington. Kyle Martel/Times Argus |
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By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: January 11, 2010
BURLINGTON – His head down, his purposeful hands constantly moving and his back to Gov. James Douglas, Casey Payette sat amid a sea of people on the scuffed concrete surface of the indoor tennis courts at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Sunday.
It wasn't a sign of disrespect.
Payette couldn't have seen Douglas through the massive crowd even if he'd been standing on the very tips of his toes – something the 11-year-old Barre boy would surely have tried if only to catch one last glimpse of his mother.
Monique Payette, who had just exchanged tear-filled goodbyes with all three of her young children, was standing at attention while Douglas and other dignitaries spoke during an early morning ceremony that marked the beginning of her yearlong deployment, along with that of her fiancé, Craig Billings, and some 500 other Vermonters headed to Afghanistan.
However, by the time the governor strode to the podium it had already been a long day for young Casey Payette, who sat quiet and cross-legged while carefully folding a miniature version of the American flag and listening to Douglas speak of the importance of "maintaining peace around the world" for kids just like him.
"This is an important mission that we're all grateful that you're taking," Douglas' voice boomed. "Please (stay) safe, take care of yourselves (and) take care of each other. We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers throughout this deployment and we all look forward to gathering here, or in some other place, not too long from now and saying: 'Thank you for a job well done and welcome home.' Until then: Godspeed."
Douglas' concluding comments provoked an avalanche of applause even as Casey Payette silently passed a tiny red-white-and-blue cloth triangle to his mother's best friend, Tina Franks, for her inspection.
It was a morning jam-packed with just that sort of imagery.
From the folks who braved sub-zero temperatures to hold the supportive banner that greeted a seemingly endless line of vehicles that arrived at the deployment ceremony shortly before 7 a.m., to the tear-streaked cheeks of Jimmy and Vicki Keel of Duxbury, who were on hand to see their son, James, off on what will be his second tour of duty.
"It's harder this time," Jimmy Keel said, noting that his son was out of state when he was deployed in 2005 and he got the news by phone.
According to Keel, James, 25, and his wife, Darcie, have had two children – a son Mason, 4, and a daughter, Taylor, 2 – since he returned from Iraq.
"We're very proud of him," Vicki Keel said crying and clapping as the last of the final wave of soldiers from the Vermont National Guard marched out of the gymnasium and headed for Fort Atterbury, Ind. for two months of training before leaving for Afghanistan. In all, 1,500 Vermonters have been activated in recent weeks as part of the largest deployment of Vermont soldiers since World War II.
Many like Timothy Tanner of Barre and Jonathan Bixby of Rutland did tours in Iraq.
"The week leading up to it and today sucks," Bixby said while exchanging a here-we-go-again bear hug with a fellow guard member shortly before the ceremony began.
"It's a little bit tougher this time because you know what's coming," he explained.
Bixby, who was accompanied to the ceremony by family members, including his wife, Leanne, daughters, Megan, 13 and Maya, 4, and son Jordan, 1, said the hardest part would be leaving them all behind.
"I'm ready training-wise, but you're never ready to say goodbye for a year," he said.
The feeling is mutual, according to Megan Bixby, who recalled her father's previous deployment as the most photographed period of her life.
"I'm ready for the camera again, even though my eyes will be as puffy as beanbag chairs," she said brushing away a tear.
Tanner, who held his two-year old daughter, Angelina, said he was better prepared for what will be a shorter tour.
"Not the leaving the family part, but at least I know what to expect," he said. His send-off party included his wife, Tonya, sons, Ryan King, 16, and Dylan Tanner, 13, and several other family members and close friends.
Among those being deployed for the first time were Wayne King of Barre and Jordan White of Dummerston. King packed a hastily composed scrapbook with photos of family members – including six-month-old grandson, Carter Jones. Jordan packed "The Ugly Truth" and a selection of other DVDs and that she can play on her laptop computer.
"I'm a little nervous, but I'm excited," said White, a 2006 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. "I feel ready."
White's mother, Gretchen?
Not so much.
"Mom's doing better than expected actually," White's older sister Colby joked as departure time approached. "She's still standing."
King, 48, spent time with his grandson while daughters Whitney Jones, 20, Crystal, 19, and Deanna, 14, scrambled to put the finishing touches on the scrapbook they were sending with him for what will be his first prolonged absence.
"We've never been apart in 26 years together," King's wife, June said. "I've already told him if he dies over there, I'll kill him."
Douglas was joined at the ceremony by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Both men briefly addressed the newly deployed guardsmen as did Adjutant General Michael Dubie and Lt. Col. Andrew Harris, commander of the 86th Brigade Support Battalion.
Soldiers deployed during Sunday's ceremonies represent National Guard armories in Berlin Northfield, Williston, Windsor and Winooski.
david.delcore@timesargus.com