On Tuesday, 100 soldiers of Bravo Company, 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion got into a civilian airliner and headed for Kuwait for additional training before they cross into Iraq.
In a short ceremony in one of the hangars at Libby Army Airfield, the soldiers heard Brig. Gen. Susan Lawrence tell them to take care of each other in the combat zone.
  
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“Take care of yourself, take care of your battle buddy,” said Lawrence, who commands the Network Enterprise Technology Command, the higher headquarters of the Signal Corps unit.
The general said many of them will be traveling on the dangerous roads in Iraq as part of their mission.
The communications that the unit’s soldiers provide ensures the warfighters have the technology to pass information. Lawrence said the information is critical in combating al-Qaida, and it gives the combat soldiers an additional edge.
As she spoke, the last-minute preparation of the Omni Air International 757 continued. The airplane was scheduled to fly from the fort to Maine, and then on to Ireland before landing in Kuwait.
The company did not leave with the rest of its battalion, whose soldiers departed in early December, with soldiers manning communication sites and facilities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar.
Bravo Company’s departure was delayed because the unit they were going to replace still had time remaining in country. As they waited to be deployed, they were on call for homeland security missions for such things as providing communications in case of a natural disaster.
The company also helped prepare fellow 40th soldiers for their departure by running training scenarios.
Unlike some other departures done at the airfield, the company’s soldiers said most of their farewells to their families in the unit’s area and then were bussed to Libby.
Arriving slightly after 10 a.m., the soldiers got off the three buses with their carry-on luggage and weapons. Some had pillows. A few had stuffed toys.
There was a more formal farewell ceremony on Friday with the company soldiers and their families and friends gathering in the gym of Barnes Field House, where the unit’s guidon was furled and cased.
After the general’s short speech on Tuesday and a few comments from the company commander Capt. Donyel Williams, it was time to board the plane.
As 1st Sgt. Carmelo Cruz called off the names of the soldiers deploying in alphabetical order, they responded with “on my way top” or “here first sergeant” or a variation of responding to their names.
They walked to the plane, going between two lines of area bikers carrying American flags and other soldiers wishing them well.
At the bottom of the ramp, Lawrence shook hands with each soldier.
More than one soldier turned to wave good-bye to about three dozen family members and friends standing in front of the hangar.
Lawrence reminded the soldiers that not only do they have an important mission to do, but they also have a critical obligation to keep in touch with their families.
And she made two promises to the unit.
One was she will visit them in Iraq soon. The other, she said, “I’m going to be here to see you when your return.”
By 11:30 a.m., the plane was airborne.
The Big Dawgs, the unit’s nickname, had left the post.
• U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Commnad:
www.netcom.army.mil/
SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
