|
Return to First Friday Briefing 214th FA Returns FollowingTen-Month Deployment
It's been a long ten months for members of the 214th Field Artillery who deployed in March 2003 to Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg. Four companies of the 214th FA returned to a heroes welcome on January 11th in their hometowns of Hartwell, Thompson, Toccoa and Elberton. The 214th Field Artillery deployed on March 20, 2003, initially intended for operations in southwest Asia. Once at Fort Campbell, the Army redirected the Georgia Army Guard artillery unit for security operations at Fort Bragg as part of Operation Noble Eagle. Approximately 370 soldiers of the 214th returned and were treated to homecoming ceremonies in their hometowns on Sunday, January 11th. Members of HHB, 1/214th in Elberton arrived at Fort Bragg in March to find the post overcrowded with deploying troops and were forced to live outside the base in local hotels/motels. "It was a kind of a roller coaster ride from the beginning, said Commander David Allen. "We were originally slated to go overseas to Iraq then we got remissioned." "There's were a lot of different things, but the men reacted well and did the jobs handed them very well'. At the homecoming ceremony for Hartwell's A- Battery, Mayor Matt Beasley told troops, " It's a warm feeling to be able to be here today and to say, "Thank you and welcome home.". As part of their homeland security mission, the 214th spent much of the time securing entrances and exits to the base as well as securing several key Special Forces training sites and augmenting military police when the nation's threat levels were increased. As far as the real world goes, it (the deployment) was an 'eye-opener", said Specialist Willie H. Cooper. "We trained all the time for the job we are supposed to do, but when you see the actual real world application, it's a lot different than what you expect." According to Specialist Ryan Jeffries, who moved to Athens in 2002, the experience of doing his part will stay with him for the rest of his life. "Just being a part of the big-picture --between the war and homeland security and 9/11-no matter how small my part may actually have been. When I have grandkids I can say that I did my part during that
time," Jeffries said. |
