Jamie Long, Leo Pins and Drew Cox are returning to Afghanistan late next year.
This time, they have much more time to prepare.
"We didn't know that we were going anywhere near as far out as we did this time," said Long, an Iowa Army National Guard soldier from Dubuque.
On Tuesday, the Defense Department alerted 3,500 Iowa Guard soldiers that they are part of the rotation that will deploy to Afghanistan. Members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division are expected to be called to duty next year. The Iowa brigade would begin deploying in the fall of 2010 and be part of ongoing operations battling the Taliban. The mission would include training the Afghan national security forces.
In the tri-state area, about 200 soldiers from the Dubuque-headquartered Alpha and Delta companies of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, and Det. 1, Company E (Brigade Support Co.), Brigade Support Battalion, are affected.
In late May 2004, about 25 soldiers of the 1/133rd -- including Long, Pins and Cox -- joined another Iowa unit, the 1/168th
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"To be honest, I'm glad I'm going somewhere that I've been before," Cox said. "I know what to expect. I know more about Afghanistan, and that's more reassuring. I know the customs."
What might be different this time is the mission. During the previous deployment, the 750 Iowa soldiers were located in 13 sites throughout Afghanistan and provided security for reconstruction efforts, resupplied fire bases near Pakistan and Iran and worked with the Afghan people in their communities.
Part of an escort team for a civil affairs group, Long spent a lot of time dealing with the Afghan public.
"Basically, our job was to make sure they were safe," Long said of the civil affairs personnel. "We spent a lot of time interacting with the people, who were good and hardworking, for the most part.
"You see kids working in the field at 6 a.m., then they go to school and then they're back in the fields. Everywhere we went, the kids, the adults would swarm us -- giving us the 'thumbs up,' waving at us, and smiling."
Like Cox, the fact he's been there before is somewhat reassuring to Pins.
"It will definitely be different from 2004-2005," Pins said. "What I'd like to do is get back to the same village where I was before and see how it's doing as well as the interpreters."
The 2004-05 deployment wasn't without tragedy. Spc. James Kearney, of Emerson, Iowa, was killed on Nov. 1, 2004, and two others, Kenneth Lukes, of Provotin, Iowa, and Michael Johnson, of Red Oak, Iowa, were wounded.
"Our unit, other than a few specific instances, got rather lucky," Cox said. "We didn't run into too many problems."
Having nearly a year to prepare and train will help.
"Be physically ready and mentally prepared," Long advised new soldiers. "You're going to be nervous, you're going to be scared. That's natural. It's actually good to have a healthy fear, but take your training seriously. Listen to your leaders."
Cox added: "Do your job, listen to the sergeants and you should be fine."
Long pointed out that the soldiers train hard during their drill weekends. "We're always busy doing something," he said. "The more you train, the better prepared you are for any situation that you might come into contact with."
When it comes to deployments, Pins might as well hum the tune, "I've Been Everywhere." He's done flood duty, tornado duty and tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest mobilization is historic, projected to be the largest single call-up for the Iowa National Guard since World War II.
"I will be making history again," he said, citing a record 16-month deployment to Iraq (spring 2006-summer 2007) with the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division. "We're carrying on the tradition and starting a new one."
Iowa National Guard fact file
