Nevada soldiers bid farewell ahead of Afghanistan deployment

By Dylan Scott

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 3:02 p.m.

The soldiers of the Nevada National Guard's 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion kept it together for most of a deployment ceremony Thursday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

But as the program drew to a close, many of their children stepped onto the convention center's floor. Saying goodbye to sons and daughters they won't see for a year while serving in Afghanistan, the soldiers let the emotions of the moment take control.

Amid the tears, kisses and flashing cameras, Capt. Ramel Jackson, Bravo company commander, said the moment was "very emotional." He'll be leaving behind a wife and three young children in Reno for the second time in four years. He previously served in Iraq.

"The experience is different for everyone. You don't know what to expect," he said. But those last memories on the convention center floor will hold the unit over until they return stateside, he said.

"They help us to endure those moments when we're missing home and missing our families," Jackson said.

At Thursday's ceremony, Gov. Brian Sandoval, Sen. John Ensign and officers in the Nevada National Guard encouraged the battalion, thanking the 190 soldiers and their families for the sacrifices they are making.

Bravo and Charlie companies left by bus for Reno on Thursday afternoon and will join the rest of the battalion. They will spend two months at Fort Lewis in Washington, where they'll be briefed on the mission and undergo preparations.

For one year in Afghanistan, the unit will install and operate communications equipment that will allow for voice, data and video transmissions between dozens of bases and combat outposts in the country's southern region.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hansen, the battalion commander, expressed his certainty that the soldiers -- many of whom are "citizen-soldiers" with another occupation and are facing combat for the first time -- are prepared for duty.

"I've asked a lot of them, and they've come through every time," he said. "I'm confident they're ready ... And we're going to get home as soon as we can."

Words of gratitude came from Sandoval, Ensign and representatives from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and U.S. Reps. Shelley Berkley, Dean Heller and Joe Heck.

The newly elected governor said the battalion, whose soldiers come from all corners of the state, were "the pride of the nation."

"I know they serve without hesitation and with courage," Sandoval said. "The people of the state of Nevada thank you for the sacrifices you make."

The 422nd Battalion will join more than 100,000 U.S. military personnel already stationed in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama has said he will start bringing troops home in July.

Ensign lamented the necessity of the soldiers' mission. He thanked the troops and their families for their service.

"War is a terrible thing. Unfortunately, it's a necessary thing sometimes," he said. And because of the battalion's sacrifice: "You and I get to live in freedom."