More area GIs gearing up for Iraq
Area Minnesota Natural Guard soldiers with Bravo Co., 1-194 Combined Arms Battalion, recently arrived in Kuwait and will soon be moving into Iraq for a year-long tour of duty.
Capt. John Wisniewski is Bravo Co. commander. There are about 13 soldiers from Brainerd with the company.
When 152 soldiers from Company A in the 194th were deployed in 2004 they arrived in Kuwait in late December and they hailed from four central Minnesota cities, including Brainerd and Wadena. Later deployments have had soldiers from the lakes area and from cities across Minnesota.
Maj. Michael Pazdernik notes that it's hard to keep tabs on soldiers in his battalion.
Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1-194 CAB from the Brainerd area are now serving in Iraq with about 2,600 Minnesota National Guard soldiers. They expect to return home in April.
About 154 soldiers are in Bravo Co. Their home cities include the lakes area but extend nearly the breadth of the state, including Ely and Marshall.
"That's made it much more difficult to communicate," said Maj. Michael Pazdernik, battalion officer in charge with the 1-194 CAB. Pazdernik is based at the Brainerd Armory. Pazdernik and the soldiers from Company A returned from Iraq nearly a year ago.
Families here at home also are spread out and they may not readily find that larger group support earlier deployments were able to provide. Pazdernik said they've tried to capitalize on using e-mail and phone calls for communication efforts from military commanders to Family Readiness Group coordinators. But if families need to talk to someone face to face, Pazdernik said they should reach out to the nearest armory.
After training at Fort Dix in New Jersey, Bravo Co. is now completing its final training and preparation in Kuwait before moving into Iraq.
Pazdernik joined Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, Minnesota National Guard adjutant general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Boone and Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Herr in a visit to Wisniewski and his company last month.
"They were very successful out at Fort Dix," Pazdernik said, adding that continues a tradition of Minnesota units getting glowing reports for the quality of their training, equipment and attitude. The troops were able to spend Thanksgiving with their families on the East Coast before they left for Kuwait.
Pazdernik had the almost surreal experience of observing Bravo Co. on a training mission at Fort Dix that simulated an ambush in Iraq. Company A also trained at Fort Dix. "I was absolutely blown away by the improvements," he said of changes designed to make training more effective and more realistic with simulated forward operating bases. At Fort Dix, Iraqi citizens help make the experience even more realistic and they provide information about the culture, which will assist deployed soldiers.
Training comes from recently returned veterans of combat situations in Iraq.
"They are continually taking lessons learned to provide better training," Pazdernik said.
In the immersion training, soldiers spend just a couple of weeks in a garrison situation before they are placed at forward operating bases designed to realistically simulate what their living and working conditions will be like in Iraq. Pazdernik said the FOB was amazingly similar to the one his troops lived on while they were stationed near Baghdad.
The simulation is so detailed it includes simulated mortar and rocket attacks and simulated improvised explosive devices that soldiers can expect to experience during missions in Iraq.
"That is ultimately going to save lives," Pazdernik said.
For returning soldiers, efforts are continuing in order to ease the transition from combat to the homefront. In early December, a "reintegration academy" will start at division headquarters before it spreads to several sites throughout the state in January and February. The idea is to cover potential issues before the large group of 2,600 soldiers returns this spring. Families and community members will be able to pick a site to attend close to home. Central Lakes College in Brainerd will host the academy session here. Soldiers are taking part in those same types of meetings in Iraq. The reintegration planning, which looks at potential issues for returning soldiers and how to get help, is making the Minnesota National Guard the envy of other states, Pazdernik said.
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.