Drum bids soldiers farewell

FORT DRUM — The post and the 10th Mountain Division formally marked the beginning of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's yearlong deployment to Iraq on Friday afternoon with a ceremony at Sexton Field, behind division headquarters.

About 3,500 soldiers will leave in groups and all should be in Iraq by the end of October, said Col. David M. Miller, brigade commander. The exact dates of troop movements aren't disclosed to the public and are frequently subject to change.

During the ceremony attended by thousands of family members and friends, Maj. Gen. James L. Terry, commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, reflected on the changes in Iraq since the brigade was last deployed there in 2006-07.

"That was a deployment of deeds, not words. You paid a heavy price over those 15 months, losing 54 of your comrades and hundreds more wounded in combat," he said.

Gen. Terry credited that work and those sacrifices for playing an important role in Iraq's "relative peace and security" today.

The brigade will deploy as part of a group of 30,000 troops replacing units already in Iraq.

"It will be one of the most challenging and dynamic deployments since the war began, I guarantee it," the general said. "You will have the opportunity to transfer full operational control to the Iraq security forces serving a sovereign Iraq. That is what our Army — indeed, our nation — has been working toward for six long years."

President Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw most troops by August. That would be 10 months into the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's deployment there.

Much of Friday's ceremony involved carefully folding the flags of the brigade and its battalions. They will be unfurled during a formal change-of-command ceremony with departing forces in Iraq. After the ceremony, Staff Sgt. Damon A. Graham told reporters he was excited about his third Iraq deployment.

"We've done nothing but endless training since we've started dwelling, from our last deployment until now. We're more than ready for the task," he said.

Sgt. Graham's wife, Jennifer A. Graham, said planning is a more confusing task for families. "It's not easy to ever prepare for a deployment. I think you muddle through."

"The nights are the loneliest," she said. "It's that time they're supposed to come home and they don't."

The couple's 11-year-old son, Tye, said his father's two previous deployments "affected my life a lot." He's "risking his life 24/7," Tye said. "He's asleep, worrying if a bullet is going to go through his window. I'm worried about that. I'm worried about anything that's ever going to happen to him."

Tye said it helps to have friends who know what it's like to be part of a military family.

Kathryn A. Moreland had more everyday concerns about husband Pfc. Justin D. Moreland's impending departure.

"(I'm) hoping that things don't start breaking down as soon as he leaves," she said. She mentioned the family's truck, which she couldn't fix it herself.

"It tends to happen that way," she said. "Everything breaks down as soon as they leave."

In addition to getting immunizations, preparing wills and practicing basic skills, soldiers will be allowed a lot of three- and four-day weekends during the weeks ahead to enjoy time with their families, Col. Miller, the brigade commander, said.