Rachel Johnson, left, and Sally Gardner, behind, pass out roses to married soldiers to give to their wives before boarding busses for the first leg of their deployment to the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Rachel Johnson, left, and Sally Gardner, behind, pass out roses to married soldiers to give to their wives before boarding busses for the first leg of their deployment to the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Spc. Scott McLain, of the 578th Signal Company, gets a goodbye kiss from daughter Taylor, 10, before boarding a bus that will take him and other members of the unit on the first leg of their deployment to the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
With a tear running down her cheek, Susann Keller says goodbye to her boyfriend, Pfc. Michael Guglielmo, before he and other members of the Darmstadt, Germany-based 578th Signal Company depart Cambrai-Fritsch Casern for the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Members of the 578th Signal Company say a prayer before departing for the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
Kristy Lohr, left, watches and Kamilla, center, and Mia Gibbs wave goodbye as four bus-loads of 578th Signal Company soldiers pass by as they leave Cambrai-Fritsch Casern in Darmstadt on Friday on their way to the Middle East. (Michael Abrams / S&S)
DARMSTADT, Germany — Face-to-face communications may not be what the 100 signal troops waiting Friday to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom are trained for, but the gesture was appreciated.
First Sgt. Michael Williams told the troops that even though they were running behind schedule to load onto buses headed for Ramstein Air Base, he was going to give them 10 more minutes to say their goodbyes.
“Usually, I’m not sensitive, but I am today because there are families here,” said the 578th Signal Company first sergeant, while standing in front of his formation outside of the 22nd Signal Brigade headquarters on Cambrai-Fritsch Casern.
Then he warned them never to bring up his sensitive side again.
No problem, said troops, as they jumped at the opportunity to connect one last time with friends and family.
Embraces, photos, tears and laughter ensued.
During Spc. Calvin Coleman’s 10 minutes, he hooked up with friends, who surrounded him in support.
“I’m going to miss all these guys,” he said, pointing to his friends. “Plus my other homeboys and family that couldn’t be here.”
The next connection these troops will be making will be in Iraq, ensuring military forces have proper communication capabilities provided by the 578th Signal Company for another year.
“They’ve basically only had about a nine-month turnaround from the last time they were there, but they’ve worked hard and are ready to go,” said Lt. Col. Edwin Drose, the 440th Signal Battalion commander, just before the ceremony.
Family members expressed that the short turnaround was tough on them.
“We don’t want him to go. It’s too soon after the last time. But we’ll do, and he’ll come back,” said Megan McLain through a tear-streaked face.
Her son Jordan, 6, tugged at his mother and said, “I miss Daddy,” even while Spc. Scott McLain was still sitting on the bus in front of them getting ready to go. This made the mother and her daughter, Taylor, 10, let out a little laugh.
For Megan Acosta, who tried to fight the tears when her husband, 2nd Lt. John Acosta, left, this is the first time she will experience a deployment.
“We didn’t say good-bye. We said, ‘See you later,’” said the new wife. “I’m proud of him. I know he’s going to do good. And I know I’m going to be OK. It’s just going to take time. I’ll keep myself busy.”
After the 10 minutes were up, and all troops accounted for, four buses circled around the loop outside their brigade headquarters three times before driving off and leaving quiet friends and family members to continue on with their day.
