Staff Sgt. Willie Ray held his son 3-month-old son, Masaki, during an official ceremony marking the return of the B Company, 193rd Aviation, at Wheeler Army Airfield yesterday.
Ceremony honors
Hawaii GuardOfficials hail the unit's extremely
successful Afghanistan mission
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Willie Ray didn't really want to go to Afghanistan last year, especially after finding out that his wife, Kimiko, was expecting their second child.
But the 26-year National Guard veteran knew his obligation and was ready to fulfill it.
"It's something I had to do," Ray said yesterday at a ceremony to honor his B Company, 193rd Aviation, for its service in Afghanistan from August to May.
"I know I went for a good reason," Ray said, balancing his 3-month-old son, Masaki, in his arms.
Behind a lectern decorated with the emblem of "Operation Enduring Freedom," Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gen. James Campbell, commanding general of the U.S. Army in the Pacific, were among the dignitaries thanking Ray and his fellow Guard members yesterday in a "Freedom Salute" at Wheeler Army Airfield.
Company commander Maj. Margaret Rains called her troops' performance as the first Hawaii National Guard unit deployed in wartime since Vietnam "awesome" and "outstanding."
The 193rd Aviation was performing its mission of aircraft maintenance within 24 hours of arriving at Kandahar Army Airfield in August, Rains said. They performed 50,000 hours of aircraft maintenance during 10 months in Afghanistan, which kept more than 25 Chinook, Black Hawk and Apache helicopters going for 8,000 flight hours, she said.
"And no missions were canceled due to maintenance," Rains said proudly.
Gov. Linda Lingle welcomed back soldiers at Wheeler Army Airfield yesterday morning. Some 59 Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers were honored by military officials, and Lingle also signed a bill to increase state tax deduction for members of the National Guard members and Reserve during the ceremony.
Rains noted that Ray and nine others made a daring retrieval of a downed civilian helicopter in March.The Huey helicopter owned and operated by an Australian medical relief organization was shot down by the Taliban, killing two of the five occupants, Ray said.
After the area was secured by infantry and the casualties were flown out, Ray and other members of the Downed Aircraft Recovery Team flew the downed Huey out of the area in a sling on a Chinook helicopter.
"They had to do it fast and right and they did it by the book," Rains said, all the while at risk for enemy fire. The helicopter had to be removed to keep it out of enemy hands, she said.
But despite grueling work schedules and tough weather conditions, the 193rd also found time to spread the aloha spirit via monthly Hawaii-themed barbecues for other soldiers stationed at Kandahar.
Guard member Chestain Monje, 22, of Red Hill, was among those who entertained by playing the ukulele at the barbecues. "It did bring up the morale," he said.
The only siblings among the 60 Hawaii soldiers in the deployment were the Watkins brothers of Hilo. Luke, 24, with a wife and two children, has been in the Army National Guard seven years, while Paul, 21, an aeronautics student at Honolulu Community College, has been in three years.
At a ceremony that called for soldiers to pin a lapel insignia on their spouses, a nearby soldier suggested that since Luke Watkins' wife wasn't present that the brothers pin each other, which they did.
Luke Watkins said that having top officials thank them personally for their service yesterday meant a lot.
Paul Watkins called his tour of duty, "a good experience. I'm glad I experienced it. Now I realize that other countries have it pretty bad. America is a pretty good country."
Another Guard member, Chad Sagaysay, 23, said he didn't expect to be deployed to a war zone when he enlisted. "We all got a job and if we have to go we gotta go," he said.
"I'm extremely proud, not only of Chad but of all the other soldiers that have gone," said his mother, Margaret Sagaysay.
The soldiers honored yesterday were recently relieved by a second rotation of troops from B Company, who left Hawaii on May 5.
Lingle announced at the event that she has signed legislation to increase the state income tax deduction for members of the National Guard and Reserve. The yearly deduction will be $2,500 in 2005 and increase to $4,725 by 2010. The current state deduction is $1,750.
Hawaii National Guard
www.dod.state.hi.us/hiarng
