Guardsman follows fathers footsteps ... all the way to Baghdad

Courtesy Photo | Sumter, S.C., native Staff Sgt. Timothy Pope stands in front of an American flag gracing one of the walls inside the Multi-National Division–Baghdad headquarters building at Camp Liberty in western Baghdad, where he spent a year-long deployment as a member of the 151st Field Artillery Regiment.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.08.2007

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

Multi-National Division-Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – "I never really intended it. I just went to the armory with my Dad for a dinner, he walked me around and the next thing I knew I was signing up!" That is how Staff Sgt. Timothy Pope, of Sumter, S.C., recalls his decision to join the South Carolina Army National Guard in 1982.

Although, he remembers being excited at the prospect of earning additional money and learning new job skills, Pope's decision to enlist was driven by his father.

"I was excited at the prospect of working with my Dad," Pope recalled. "We have always been very close."

His father, Sgt. 1st Class Jennings W. Pope, spent nearly 28 years in the Guard before he retired in 1992. A veteran of the Korean War, Jennings Pope always took great pride in his military service.

"He had his stuff together," his son recalled. "His uniform was always pressed and he would shine his boots until they gleamed."

In August 2006, when Staff Sgt. Pope informed his father that their old unit, the 151st Field Artillery Brigade, was being activated, he recalled his Dad not being particularly happy about his son heading to war.

"I guess I will always be his baby boy," laughed the 43-year-old non-commissioned officer.

While in Iraq, Pope worked in the headquarters of the Multi-National Division – Baghdad under the 1st Cavalry Division at Camp Liberty, a base camp in the western part of the Iraqi capital, not far from the Baghdad International Airport. His main mission entailed preparing logistical packets and obtaining funding for supplies for the Iraqi army and Iraqi police.

Pope and the rest of the 151st are slated to return to their South Carolina homes and loved ones this month. Besides seeing his parents again, Pope said he is looking forward to spending time with his son, Joshua, aged 20, and his twin, 14-year-old daughters, Ashley and Arlette.

With his tour nearing its end, however, Pope said his father has become more comfortable with the deployment.

"Now, I think he wishes he was still in the Guard," Pope said, "and that he had come over here with us."

• Date Taken: 10.08.2007
• Date Posted: 10.08.2007 09:13
• Story ID: 12746
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ