FORT HOOD, Texas - About 30 Soldiers from E Battery, 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th ADA Brigade, along with Soldiers from III Corps, made their last preparations for their 12 month deployment to Iraq, Feb. 1, at Fort Hood.
At first glance, any person first walking into Kieschnick Gym would have been expecting to find a booming party, but behind the thunderous music being pumped to every corner of the gym, there was a room full of reluctant family members and Soldiers, anxiously awaiting their last hugs and kisses from their loved ones for months to come.
Going through a deployment away from family is the hardest part of being a Soldier, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the III Corps commanding general.
Although it is a painful experience to be separated from loved ones for months at a time, it is something that most Soldiers and their families have to endure to ensure the safety and freedom of this great country.
While some Soldiers are trying to overcome the heartache of leaving their families behind, for other Soldiers, the deployment to Baghdad is a new and exciting experience. This is the case for Pfc. Ryan Sieverding, a native of St. Albans, Vt., and an Avenger crew member from E Btry., 1-44 ADA.
Sieverding has only 14 months of Army service under his belt but is eager to get this deployment started.
"I signed up to go," Sieverding said.
Cone challenges Soldiers and family members alike to set goals and achieve them throughout the deployment, he said.
Any goal, whether it be taking the next step in bettering one's education, becoming more physically fit, or taking better control of finances, can help to pass the time of a seemingly never ending deployment.
Sieverding said that he would like to explore and travel to new places. This deployment may give him an opportunity to achieve one of his goals.
As the loud music in the gym disappeared, the families were given their last minutes with their Soldiers before it was time to go. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives shared their final I love you's, and within moments, the Soldiers were lined up and marching out of the gym.
"In order to get home, you gotta say bye," Cone said.
Saying goodbye is a sacrifice that every military family has to make at one point or another, and for the families in E Btry., 1-44 ADA, Feb. 1 was one of those days. However, now that the hard part of saying goodbye is over, the families can look forward to saying hello in a few months time.