FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Eight members of the Hawaii National Guard gathered yesterday at Wheeler Army Air Field to leave for duty in Afghanistan. Sgt. Cesar Ramirez II got a tearful hug from his sister, Elizabeth Ocegueda, right, as he was about to board the bus. Behind, his wife, Aileen, held their daughter, Alessandra.
Guard soldiers
ship out for
AfghanistanHelicopter mechanics called
up for active duty leave on
a long terrorism-era mission
Hawaii Army National Guardsman Sgt. Manuel Ramirez says the longest deployment he once had to look forward to was about two weeks.
Now Ramirez faces up to a year in Afghanistan.
He said he wonders if times have changed for those once considered "weekend warriors."
"I know we didn't do this kind of deployment before. ... We've got more equipment now, more than ever," he said as he prepared to leave Wheeler Army Air Field yesterday. "It's OK with me, but my family is taking it kind of hard."
Ramirez, an auto mechanic in civilian life, is one of 62 soldiers assigned to the Hawaii Army National Guard's B Company, 193rd Aviation, which services Army helicopters. The 193rd was placed on active duty last month and began shipping out soldiers to Afghanistan in small groups this month as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ramirez's group consisted of eight soldiers who left yesterday evening, but not before some quiet time with family.
Ester Higa, 3, pointed to her father, Sgt. 1st Class Jay Higa, an Army veteran, and asked her mother, "Can I go with him?"
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Spc. Geoffrey Gabayan, right, waited to board the bus to Hickam while, behind him, Sgt. Cesar Ramirez II and Spc. Reid Suzuki geared up.
Later, she turned to him directly and said, "Let me come with you."
Higa patted her on the head and smiled. "I'll miss my kids and my wife," he said.
When asked about their assignment, he said, "Fixing helicopters isn't that dangerous. It's just the location we'll be in."
Hawaii National Guard officials acknowledged that this deployment to Afghanistan is longer than what most state militia members are used to, but they noted that times have changed.
"It's becoming a lot more common," said spokesman Maj. Charles Anthony. "It's something that is becoming more frequent in the post-9/11 (world), but prior to 9/11 it wasn't common at all.
"Across the country, we still have more than 200,000 Guard and Reserve on active duty."
Urlie Ramirez said she was shocked when her husband told her he might be gone for up to a year. It is the longest separation for the couple in their 15-year marriage.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sgt. Manuel Ramirez received a final hug from his mother, Teresita, before he boarded the bus. Behind them was his wife, Urlie.
"I didn't want to see him go," she said, "but ... everybody understands."
Her 18-year-old daughter, Noelani Ramirez, said her mother was "taking it pretty well."
"I'm a little nervous for him," Noelani said, "but since he's only fixing helicopters, we're hoping he'll be OK."
Younger soldiers like 20-year-old Richard Oh and 23-year old Geoffrey Gabayan were more optimistic.
Gabayan, an English major at the University of Hawaii, said he joined the Guard to help pay for his education and never thought he would be overseas for such a long time.
"It'll be a good experience," he said. "I wouldn't change a thing."
Oh recalled his life before being activated. "I was working at Times Super Market as a cashier, but I quit that job when I found out I was going. ... For me this is like a time to start all over again."
Higa, a 24-year veteran in the Guard, said longer deployments are almost always easier for the younger soldiers. "Those are the kids. ... It'll be an experience for them.
"They're going to be so busy that I don't think they're going to have too much time to be homesick."
Hawaii military links and information
