Soldiers of the 29th Support Group stand in formation at a Casing the Colors ceremony in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Friday. The group will be deploying to Afghanistan in the coming months and along with 1,300 other servicemembers from 32 different units will form the Joint Logistics Command. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)
Soldiers of the 29th Support Group stand in formation at a Casing the Colors ceremony in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Friday. The group will be deploying to Afghanistan in the coming months and along with 1,300 other servicemembers from 32 different units will form the Joint Logistics Command. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)
Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Walker, left and Col. Walter Sawyer roll up the colors of the 29th support Group at a Casing the Colors ceremony for the 29th Support Group in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Friday. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)
Lt. Col. Sean Higgins renders a salute at a casing the colors ceremony for the 29th Support Group in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Friday. Higgins, the group’s deputy commander, and about 1,100 servicemembers will be deploying to Afghanistan in the coming months and will form the Joint Logistics Command. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Col. Walter J. Sawyer, commander of the 29th Support Group, likened his soldiers’ upcoming yearlong Afghanistan deployment to America’s favorite pastime.
Sawyer told the roughly 150 soldiers Friday at the group’s flag casing ceremony at Rhine Ordnance Barracks that similar to baseball players, the troops trained hard in the off-season and spring training is over.
“Now it’s our turn in the batter’s box, and make no mistake, we will make history,” Sawyer said.
And even before Friday’s ceremony ended, the 29th Support Group had made history: The event marked the first time the 29th Support Group’s flag has been cased for combat since the Vietnam War.
Soldiers in attendance represented the 330th Rear Operations Center, the 29th Support Group HHC Forward and the 29th Support Group HHC Rear. Those elements are part of 21st Theater Support Command, which by July will have deployed about 1,100 troops to Afghanistan for its joint logistics command mission.
The 21st TSC deployment comes as it is replacing elements of the 25th Infantry Division, which offered logistical support in Afghanistan.
The 330th ROC and 29th Support Group HHC Forward will leave for Afghanistan sometime next week to provide force protection and logistical support, respectively. However, the 29th Support Group HHC Rear will stay behind in Germany to support deployed soldiers and their families.
Despite the inherent uncertainty of a hostile land, soldiers said after the ceremony that they were enthusiastic about their deployment.
For 1st Lt. T.J. Naputi with the 29th HHC Forward, a yearlong deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan, give him a shared experience with family members. The Guam native’s brother and brother-in-law recently served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Two people from my family have been deployed before,” said Naputi, a 24-year-old who will serve as a command liaison in Afghanistan. “I’m just excited to get my feet in the fire.”
While operations in Iraq have received more media attention than Afghanistan, troops bound for the south central Asia country admitted the situation could get dangerous. The soldiers said they are ready to accept those risks, but the mission also has a deeper meaning for Capt. Lathrop Morse, a reservist with the 330th ROC.
“We’re there to help (Afghanistan citizens) have a better life,” he said. “The life we’ve come to expect and have sometimes taken for granted.”
