October 12, 2005

By the end of the month members of the 278th Regimental Combat Team will begin returning to Tennessee from their deployment in Iraq.

Most are expected home by the middle of November. That will be an early present that will probably dwarf anything under their Christmas trees.

These citizen soldiers have been deployed for almost two years. They've sacrificed two years of their lives to the mission. Their families have sacrificed two years that can't be replaced. Nine of their number have made the supreme sacrifice while on station in the Middle East.

The mission of these 3,000 or so Tennesseans has been nation-building and providing security, including free elections in Iraq. They've built schools, clinics and other infrastructure. An important part of the mission was keeping the peace between the Kurdish and Arab populace. Complicating the situation for them have been dealing with multiple leaders, each with his own agenda.

Jeff Holmes, a Rutherford County resident and a lieutenant colonel in the 278th, described the quandary in an e-mail from Iraq in June: "We have to be ready for a handshake or a hand grenade and many times within the same day."

Based on news reports from Iraq, what the 278th has had to deal with is similar to the experiences of other combat units. The front is undefined, the goals of the Iraqis themselves are all over the board and the situation is dangerous.

Whatever our feelings about national policy, we must realize the mission for the 278th — and every other unit stationed in Iraq — is about making a difference for individuals. However the big picture is ultimately judged, our involvement at the local level has made a difference.

Holmes said it well back in June: "Anyone questioning this war would not do so if they would only experience what we have experienced, the mass graves, the fatherless families, the poverty. That's what I want the folks back home to remember."

The 278th is scheduled to start deploying home within 10 days. The word "scheduled" is important because, as Holmes pointed out, the enemy always gets to vote.

But in part because of the efforts of the 278th, the people of Iraq have had an opportunity to vote for provisional leaders and they will soon be voting on a new constitution.

The mission of the 278th is winding down and for that we should all be thankful. The mission in the Middle East continues. What is happening in Iraq is much like what happened in our own country 230 years ago.

As a nation we should remember a lesson we learned then. We were very willing to accept help from outside sources, but ultimately it was our job to determine the best government for us.

Originally published October 9, 2005

Story Copyright to Mid South News