It’s goodbye time for reservists on Aug. 16

Army reservists from the CNMI will start leaving on Aug. 16 to undergo six months of intensive military training and one whole year of deployment in Iraq, in response to calls by the Pentagon for U.S. Army Reserve forces to reinforce depleted missions in the Middle East.

Lt. Col. Howard T. Sugai, U.S. Army Reserve public affairs officer, said the official mobilization date for reservists called to active duty was set for next Monday. On that day, the soldiers should all report to the Army Reserve Center in Puerto Rico.

Between Aug. 16 and 20, depending on airline schedules, the soldiers will start traveling to Hawaii. At the Schofield Barracks in Oahu, the CNMI soldiers will meet other Pacific components of the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade, namely those coming from Guam, Hawaii, and American Samoa.

Sugai said the reservists will train in Hawaii and go through the soldier readiness process, which includes a medical examination and completion of promotion packets, insurance documents and other personal affairs.

In the second week of October, the soldiers will proceed to Fort Bliss in Texas to join the rest of their brigade, including those coming from California and Oregon. “They will then starting training together as an entire organization,” Sugai said.

He added that the soldiers will be given a block holiday leave from Dec. 20 until Jan. 3, so they can spend some time with their families during the Christmas holidays.

Sugai, however, acknowledged that traveling back to Saipan may cause a tremendous financial burden to the soldiers from the islands. The U.S. Army, he said, is planning to take the soldiers back to Honolulu to at least lessen their travel cost.

After their Christmas leave, the reservists will move to Fort Polk in Louisiana, where they will undergo a simulated combat training that goes through war games crafted based on the standards of the U.S Army.

At Fort Polk, the soldiers will be placed in a village with people posing as Iraqi civilians and in situations similar to what they are likely to encounter in Iraq. “They will receive training on the rules of engagement and on the Iraqis’ customs. They will learn how to cope with angry Iraqis, how to man security checkpoints, how to stop and search vehicles without pissing off the Iraqis, and how to minimize damage of an attack,” Sugai said.

The soldiers, he added, will start moving in February 2005 to Iraq, where they will stay for a maximum of one year.

“It’s our current policy to limit the deployment tour of duty to 12 months—or ‘one year boots on the ground’—to give the soldiers and their family some stability in planning. We know that there are families and employers waiting for them, so their deployment will not be extended involuntarily,” Sugai said.

The reservists, therefore, should be back by February 2006.

Still, the Army official stressed that this timeline is subject to change anytime, depending on how the war in Iraq develops.

“This timeline is only as of Aug. 7. Anything can happen,” Sugai stressed.