Photo By Lt. Col. Deanna Bague | Six-year-old Arianna shows her father, Pvt. Luis Ramirez of the 591st Military Police...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, TEXAS – Nearly 170 Soldiers from the 591st Military Police Company deployed to Iraq Feb. 28, from Biggs Army Airfield following an emotional sendoff organized by the unit's family readiness group.
The unit will join its higher headquarters, the 93rd MP Battalion, which departed for Iraq in January. The 591st MPs will be structured as police transition teams with the primary mission of training the Iraqi police to conduct law enforcement and related operations for the Iraqi government, said Capt. Violeta Sifuentes, commander of the 591st.
Sifuentes is no stranger to the mission. She previously deployed with her sister unit, the 978th MP Co., back in 2005. At the time, she was a platoon leader and said she will draw from that experience to help her lead the 591st successfully.
"It's more intense this time around," Sifuentes said. "The first time as a platoon leader, I had the company to fall back on. This time, I'm the company commander so I'm falling back on myself...I have to think about all my platoons. But they're well-trained, I have great platoon leaders, great platoon sergeants and they in hand have really great noncommissioned officers who will lead the Soldiers well."
The 591st will also meet up with the 978th, which departed for Iraq six months ago. Both trained together here before their respective deployments, said Sifuentes.
"The scenarios we trained with the 978th were very realistic," said Sifuentes. "They brought role players who played the part of Iraqi police and government officials, so the Soldiers got a taste of how Iraq is going to be."
Soldiers and family members in the unit said the challenge of deploying comes from the separation it creates. In order to help alleviate the anxieties associated with the separation, FRG members said their organization serves as a support mechanism for the families of deployed Soldiers.
"If anybody needs anything, they contact someone in our chain and we work together [and] get them the resources to help them become stronger on their own," said Cathleen Gallas, 591st MP Co. FRG leader.
Many of the spouses said they feel uneasy because they are concerned about the safety of the troops in Iraq.
"Of course I'm nervous because something might happen; it's a dangerous area to be in," said Irina Roberts, wife of Sgt. John Roberts of the 591st MP Co. "But I'm confident because things have improved over there and it's not as bad as it used to be. And there are a lot of spouses here that help me out and have more experience with deploying. I have resources here."
Spc. Christina Jones, who is leaving her 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter with family members while she's deployed, said she hopes the FRG will reach out to her parents and brother, so they may utilize the resources they offer.
Some Soldiers and their spouses, like Pvt. Luis Ramirez and his wife Laura, said they will rely heavily on technology to keep in touch. Ramirez recorded the voices of his 6-year-old daughter Arianna and 4-year-old son Christian, using "Build-a-Bear," to take with him. In turn, he also recorded his voice for his children to keep while he is away.
"Technology puts us all at ease when it comes to communicating," said Ramirez. "I don't have to wait for a letter to hear from my family."
Soldiers said they tried to prepare for any situation they feel could add to the stress and anxiety their children may experience from the separation. Sgt. Jesus Avila and his wife Michelle, said some of their 6-year-old son's friends who are not familiar with the role of parents who serve in the military made inaccurate comments about Avila when he left for a month's training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. As a result, their son believed Avila left for reasons other than training.
Avila said his son's friends told him, "Your dad is probably mad at your mommy; that's why he left."
Both Avila and his wife spent time reassuring their son everything was fine between them.
"We told [our son] in a positive aspect that [his father] was going to go help the kids in Iraq," said Michelle.
Soldiers and family members said in light of the challenges of the deployment, they remain confident in the safe return of the troops.
"The sacrifice and commitment other units have put forth has made it a safer environment," said Ramirez.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2009 03:39 |
| Story ID: | 30616 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,394 |
| Downloads: | 859 |
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