Tuesday, October 25, 2005

By Ashley Rowland

Staff Writer

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The first of nearly 4,000 Tennessee-based National Guardsmen arrived in Mississippi on Monday, marking the end of the unit's yearlong stay in Iraq.

It was the largest deployment of Tennessee National Guard troops since World War II. Knoxville-based 278th Regimental Combat Team flew into Gulfport, Miss., around noon, then drove about an hour north to Camp Shelby, 26 miles from Hattiesburg.

"It's nice to be back on American soil," said Capt. Donnie Allen of Lewisburg, Tenn., who held his 3-year-old daughter, Berkley, as the soldiers gathered for instructions outside their buses.

The 278th left Camp Shelby in November 2004 for Iraq, where they fought insurgents, opened dozens of schools, dug wells, improved roads and helped set up electricity, water and sewer systems.

They also provided security during the January 2005 Iraqi elections and assisted the Iraqi Army during the Oct. 15 vote on the Iraqi constitution.

Ten soldiers from the unit died in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Doril Sanders said Monday's arrival went smoothly. Another 600 soldiers are scheduled to return to Mississippi on Wednesday, and members of the unit will continue arriving through mid-November, according to officials.

The soldiers were released for a 48-hour leave soon after arriving at Camp Shelby and returning their weapons. They will be allowed to return to their homes within five to seven days after a processing period at Camp Shelby that includes medical examinations, officials said.

Many soldiers said they didn't have big plans for their leave — just eating a hearty American meal, sleeping and relaxing.

David Andrews, of Athens, Tenn., held his 3 1 /2 year old son as his wife, Mary, stood close by his side.

"I just want to sit in the house and look at them," he said.

A small group of mostly wives, parents and children waited at the gate of Camp Shelby to greet the returning soldiers.

Richard Tackett, of Little Rock, Ark., said he and his wife had tears in their eyes as they followed the convoy of soldiers into the camp. Their 31-year-old son, Richard, was among them.

The Nashville resident said he felt "a little overwhelmed" as he stood with his parents after a short debriefing outside the buses that carried the soldiers through Camp Shelby. He had been deployed before to Korea, where the military facilities were nicer and you could leave the base and go out on the town, he said.

"In Iraq, you don't do that," he said. His parents said they never talked with their son on the phone while he was in Iraq, but communicated with him frequently through e-mail.

"If we get up in the morning and we've got an e-mail, (we didn't worry)," Mr. Tackett said. "If there was no e-mail, you had to worry every day until you got one."

The family members who made the trip to Camp Shelby said they were lucky. Since Hurricane Katrina, most of the area's hotel rooms have been booked with evacuees and relief workers, forcing many 278th families to travel as far away as Jackson, Miss., if they wanted to visit the soldiers during their two-day leave.

Stacy Dorsey found a vacant room in Meridian, Miss.

"Even though it's 100 miles away, it's well worth it," said Mrs. Dorsey, who gave birth to her second child four days after her husband, Brian, deployed. He listened to the birth and their baby's first cries from a phone at Camp Shelby.

"We're definitely ready to get home and start life again," she said.

Capt. Allen said he wanted to celebrate his 6-year-old son's birthday before returning to Camp Shelby. Other than that, plans for the next two days were up to his children, he said.

"Whatever they want to do — probably Chuck E. Cheese and the movies," he said.

E-mail Ashley Rowland at arowland@timesfreepress.com

WHAT'S NEXT

Another 600 soldiers from the 278th Regimental Combat Team are scheduled to return to Mississippi on Wednesday, and members of the unit will continue arriving through mid-November, according to officials.

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