Three Michigan Army National Guard infantry units ship out oversees
It was 7:30 a.m., last week at the Alpena CRTC air base at a building in the back of the complex. Army National Guard members were gathered with family to say their final goodbyes before boarding a bus on the first of several stops to pick up area soldiers for overseas deployment.
This group was the first of 635 members of three Michigan National Guard units slated for departure for Iraq, Bosnia, or the Sinai Peninsula. The units included the 1462nd Transportation Company, Howell; the 46th Infantry Brigade/12th Armor Battalion, Wyoming; and the 125th Infantry Battalion, from Flint, Alpena, Cheboygan, Saginaw, Detroit, Lansing, Big Rapids, and Wyoming.
Some wives were in tears, while others gave comfort and support. One young father held tight to his five-month-old child the entire time. Children grasped their father?s hands and all were busy giving hugs and saying their last words to each other.
THE GAMUT of emotions ran high as some who were crying just moments before were now laughing nervously, trying their best to remain cheerful for the soldiers. The half hour went quickly for Sgt. First Class Steve Hazlett, 50, of Rogers City. Steve was there with his wife, Mary, 46, and two of their three children, Lauren, 17, and Hannah, 11. The Hazletts? son, Jacob, 22, is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. ?I was lucky to get to see Jacob while I was in training these past two months, so at least I got to say goodbye to him,? Steve said.
Hazlett was called into active duty and sent in November and December to begin his own training for being deployed to the Sinai Peninsula January 3. Steve is a 14-year member of the National Guard and was deployed when the 911 incidents occurred in New York. ?I also have three years active duty and was deployed to a mission to guard the Alpena Airport,? Steve said. ?A lot of the guys went to Detroit, but I had one of the easier jobs that time.? Hazlett and his fellow soldiers will be asked to observe and report any treaty violations between Israel and Egypt where they will be stationed near the border. ?What we have to do is man the outposts in the Sinai ? there are many of them. It?s a squad-sized element with manned control centers that we report to. Then everything gets reported to the higher-ups,? Hazlett said. Steve said he expects to be deployed approximately six months or until July or August.
HE HOPES to stay in touch with his family by e-mail, as they are not allowed to have cell phones. Steve?s civilian job is working for the Rogers City Post Office. He said he would not be too worried about things back home while being deployed. ?We have a really strong family support group and I don?t have any big concerns,? Steve said. ?Mary usually handles the bills, so I have confidence in her?the house is in good shape ? I?m sure she?ll be lonely, as I will be??
Hazlett was already worrying about the soldiers who will be under his command, however. ?Some of the guys have small children and infants who will have it lot tougher on them,? he said, ?because they?ll miss that quality time with their families. ?My kids are OK with my leaving?they understand. This process has been going on for several months now. I?ve been gone for training so it?s not as though I?m here today and gone tomorrow ? I?ve been home on leave for two weeks now,? Steve said.
HOW WILL Mary cope with her husband?s deployment? ?I have wonderful friends for support,? Mary said. ?The community is wonderful from Rogers City, Onaway, and Millersburg. In fact in the two months he was gone for training there was great support from everybody.? Mary said people would call her just to ask if she needed anything. She gratefully accepted help with a plumbing problem on one occasion. ?There?s a gentleman who calls from Camp Grayling ? who calls every family to see how it?s going. It does get lonely sometimes?this will be the longest time he?s ever been gone.?
Mary said the kids were taking it pretty well but there were good days and bad. ?They (the children) just focus on their school work and try to stay busy ? my husband?s parents both just died in May and in June and they were the reason we moved up here. We really don?t have family up here anymore, so this was a huge adjustment. Christmas this year was just out-of-sorts?that?s why ?Babes In Toyland? was so wonderful ? it kept us busy,? Mary said of the children?s involvement in the play. ?We went to visit my sister in Chicago and I have a brother there too, but it was still difficult because of all the loss — but that would be so for any family,? Mary added.
Mary surmised that families back during World War II went through much the same thing. ?Many of our older generation experienced this, and even when Steve?s parents were alive I?d ask his mom how she handled it ? she was a war bride and dad was fighting in Germany.? Mary thought it would be OK with e-mail contact making it easier to stay in touch.
?MY HUSBAND?S not in Iraq ? I?m thankful ? he?s not in Korea, another very hot area, and my son?s not there yet ? so I?m thankful for that. There?s a lot of families who have loved ones in the Baghdad area ? someone always has it much worse,? Mary said. Mary and her family try to keep as cheerful as possible. They do a lot of volunteer work and rent comedy videos. ?We volunteer at the soup kitchen in Cheboygan ? it?s the only way to keep your mental health intact,? Mary added. Mary hopes to sign up for some distance learning college courses during the winter months. All of those plans were present Saturday morning as the family said their final farewells and tried to lend support to other wives who
DEPARTURE TIME was nigh and the commander called a muster of the troops for a final headcount before boarding the bus. The families stood off to the side, some in tears, and others smiled proudly seeing their soldier at attention, dressed in the desert camouflage gear and new boots. This stop included Dave Purol of Posen as he said goodbye to his sisters and brother. Ed Light of Onaway and Tom Hill of Tower would be joining them in Cheboygan.
With duffels on their shoulders, one-by-one the soldiers gave final hugs and kisses and boarded the bus. There was a mock protest from several of the wives, who stood pushing the front of the bus, while laughing, saying, ?You can?t go!? The bus drove off into the dark morning mist on its way to Cheboygan for yet another pickup.