1st Sgt. Daniel Ronay stood on a muddy road amid shell casings and tank tracks. Seconds earlier, a thunderous roadside bomb shot a fireball into the air.

The seen-it-all military lifer, with hardened face and hands, loosened up his Army helmet, lit up a Marlboro Red and looked at the bomb's rising smoke.

After exhaling toward overcast skies, the region Marine released seemingly classified information: He and his wife, a staff sergeant, will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in March. In Iraq. Together.

The sweet sentiments filtered out of him like incense from a cigar.

"Iraq," Ronay said, stomping out the butt, "will be my last hurrah."

For most of his fellow soldiers -- the local 113th Engineers Battalion -- serving this month in Operation Iraqi Freedom will be their first hurrah. They're training like it at Camp Atterbury, 30 miles south of Indianapolis.

Geographically, the enormous camp is roughly the size of Gary, with more than 5,000 resident soldiers training for overseas deployment.

By year's end, more than 20,000 National Guard troops will be deployed from the camp, which houses its own chapel, airfield and endless rows of barracks.

The typical overseas role of the 113th is to "build things up and blow things up," said Capt. John Pitt, of Porter, who's 100 percent behind Uncle Sam in Iraq.

As peacekeepers there, the battalion will manage construction sites and provide convoy support, he said.

Hurry up ... and wait

At remote Range 37, Alpha Company soldiers waited near a rolling 3-mile loop of mock villages and ambush attacks, similar to what they may see in Iraq.

Sitting on a grassy hill, M-4 machine guns to their side, they ate lunch from clear plastic "bag o' meals" -- cold sandwiches, Pringles, Milky Ways and fruit. It's the modern day MRE, or meal ready to eat.

To burn away the minutes until their live run, the men talked about everything under the hidden sun -- car engines, strip clubs and pizza toppings, in both southern drawl and urban speak.

One soldier proudly showed a photo of his newborn baby. Another dreamt out loud: "When I get back from Iraq ..."

Up along the entry road, Capt. Andy Kovats leaned on a Humvee, quietly reflecting on his wife and daughters back in Hobart. The 39-year-old U.S. Postal Service Inspector said his wife is the family's hero, not him.

An officer then barked out orders, and Kovats, 21 years now in the Guard, yelled "Roger that, sir," leaving his warm memories in the cool air. The enemy waited.

Enemy 'attacks'

A dozen 113th soldiers in Humvees and armored personnel carriers rumbled through the 3-mile loop.

The convoy drove 30 mph past automated pop-up targets and hostile insurgents with balloons pinned at heart-level. The vehicles use flashing turn signals to warn of enemy fire from the left or right.

Officers barked out "muzzle awareness!" reminding soldiers to know which way their guns are aimed while not shooting.

To the right, an "attack" triggered return live fire -- pop! pop! pop! -- from the soldier's machine guns. A 50-caliber gun shot loud holes in the southern Indiana silence.

At one village, trash cans blocked the road. The convoy came to a halt. Soldiers dismounted, aiming their weapons at imaginary enemies. Without warning a thunderous BOOM! jolted the air, causing a fireball along the roadside.

The soldiers scrambled for cover, pulling a "wounded" comrade aboard a vehicle. Two soldiers kicked down the trash cans, and the convoy raced on, four-way flashers signaling a casualty.

Roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices have caused nearly one-third of all deaths to Indiana military personnel in Iraq. Updated military intelligence is constantly used here to modify training, techniques and soldier survival skills.

"We need soldiers to put on their game face," Pitt said.

Mission or the man

At a different camp post, five Company Headquarters soldiers dismounted from an armored M1025 Humvee, dubbed "WARPIG," under a simulated ambush attack.

"Contact right!" a soldier yelled, warning that enemy gunfire is coming from the right. "Aggressive posture!"

Military intelligence from Iraq shows the less aggressive a U.S. convoy appears, the more it gets attacked from insurgents, who prefer to attack "easy pickings."

Within five seconds, Spc. Ivan McIntosh and Spc. Steven Brumfield, both of Gary, emptied out of the Humvee in synchronized precision, each with a choreographed attack stance and their M-4s aimed.

Their first thought: The three D's -- distance, direction and (enemy) description.

The vehicle's turret gunner on top is treated like a quarterback on a football team. When his heavy-gun, grenade launcher position goes down, the team often goes down.

McIntosh and Brumfield trained as if the gunner was hit. Their mission: Remove him -- wounded or dead -- and keep the weapon firing.

"It's either the mission or the man," one soldier said. "Most times, the mission is more important."

Dirty good-for-everything F.O.B.

Before leaving for deployment, region soldiers train at the camp's Forward Operating Base, or F.O.B., a mock Army base that simulates the size, design and living conditions of bases in Iraq.

Surrounded by concertina wire and sand bags, the 25-acre base houses dirt roads, guard towers, ammunition bunkers and key entry points designed against an attack. There are even mock armed enemies planted in a nearby field.

The base, where hundreds of soldiers train at a time, was built a few weeks ago with updated intelligence from Iraq.

Like with all camp maneuvers, soldiers here prepare under a "crawl, walk, run" mentality, first training without any ammunition before using blanks and then live ammo.

Only then do they fully understand the dull hours of classroom teachings beforehand, said Battalion Cmdr. Lt. Col. Richard Shatto.

"They're learning how to survive here," he said.

Crowded barracks, soldier sardines

Most guardsmen here earn about $1,200 every two weeks in take-home pay, yet they won't be taking it home in person for at least another year.

One crowded barrack houses 100 Bravo Company soldier sardines, most on double bunk beds with no privacy. Littered with duffel bags, personal items and camouflaged everything, it looks like a grenade hit it.

Tucked away is a city of Valparaiso flag to be hoisted soon in Iraq.

On Mondays, there is a Wal-Mart run. On Sundays, a chapel run. A sign over a phone reads, "15 Minutes" per call. On camp property, finding a cell phone reception is a mission in itself.

Spc. Ryan Ayres, of Portage, sat quietly on his top bunk penning a letter to his fiancee, oblivious to Guns N' Roses on a boombox and the sound of weapons being dismantled and cleaned.

Soldiers wake at 5:30 a.m., train most of the day and call lights out at 2300 hours, 11 p.m. Popular night-time perks include a small microwave oven and a handful of laptops to watch "computer cinema."

"We walk around and see which movie is better," one soldier said.

Care packages from loved ones are the best perk, said Company Cmdr. Jose Cuadra: "They're more popular than e-mails or phone calls. We can touch them."  (JERRY DAVICH, This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, December 2, 2004 12:27 AM CST)

December 05, 2004 - National Guard's 939th Military Police Detachment Leaving for Iraq
 

Saying good-bye is tough, but that's what some members of the Indiana National Guard are preparing to do.

They're bound for Iraq, but before they leave, the guard treated their families to a special night Saturday.  "My guys are like, you know, we gotta say good-bye one more time!" said one soldier.

It was family night for members of the Indiana National Guard's 939th Military Police Detachment at Camp Atterbury. 45 members will soon be leaving for Iraq.

Sgt. First Class  John Forbes with the Indiana National Guard says, "She kind of understands that dad's gonna be away for about a year!"

SFC. Forbes has been trying to explain it to young daughter Sara, something wife Jennifer is still grappling with. "What a lot of the general public doesn't understand is the dedication these guys have! In that when they are called, yes, it's terrible, but they just really have a lot of pride and it's just their duty and honor!" says Jennifer.

But here, they were being honored. Honored for the mission ahead. Sgt. First Class Kerry Buckner is saying good-bye to his family too. When asked what was going through his mind at the dinner SFC. Buckner replied, "Oh, just a lot of uncertainties and wondering what's actually gonna happen because the violence is getting so much worse everyday! Just kind of an uneasiness of the unknown!"

Buckner has a wife and a kid with another on the way. They're all concerned, including his mom. "I think as much as anything, I'm just afraid for him, but I know that there's a lot of guys who are over there! They'll do fine and I'm looking for him to come back home!" says Royce Bruckner.

Major Deedra Thombleson is saying good-bye to her little ones. Her husband just got back from Iraq. Thombleson says, "My five year old understands it because my husband was gone, so he understands mommy is going to Iraq! My two year old doesn't understand! She obviously doesn't understand! So, it is tough on the kids!"

The guard can't say exactly when the unit is leaving, but it will be soon. They'll function as a police department somewhere in Iraq. They'll conduct investigations and inspections among others things during their year-long tour of duty.  (WISH-TV, Indianapolis)

December 07, 2004 - Guard unit called to active duty.  Company based in Anderson to train at camp in Mississippi.

A new company of Indiana Army National Guard soldiers has been called to active service, officials announced Monday, one week after most of another Hoosier Guard outfit returned home from duty overseas.

The mobilization taps A Company, 138th Signal Battalion. The unit, headquartered in Anderson, Ind., is being ordered to report to Camp Shelby in Mississippi in January. The camp, near Hattiesburg, is the only other full-scale mobilization center run by the National Guard besides Camp Atterbury in Indiana.

Guard officials declined to say why the unit was being sent for training out of state, citing security concerns.

The company is part of the Army's Signal Corps, which handles military communications. They had been informed last month that they were on alert, a move that usually leads to an active duty callup, said Capt. Lisa Kopczynski, state public affairs officer for the Guard.

The company's parent battalion has more than 400 soldiers, but Guard officials would not disclose exactly how many troops are being called up. According to the Pentagon, they will join more than 5,500 Indiana Guard and reserve troops from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines now on active duty. That figure means the state continues to have a record number of reservists called up since the attacks of Sept. 11.  (By Kevin O'Neal, Indystar.com)

December 8, 2004 - Local Marion, Ohio National Guard unit returning.

Members of Marion’s unit of the Ohio National Guard will be home for the holidays. About 450 members of the Ohio National Guard’s 1-134th Field Artillery Battalion, including 75 from A Battery of Marion, will return home Wednesday from a nine-month deployment guarding U.S. military installations throughout Europe.

A public ceremony to welcome home the troops will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday at Harding High School, 1500 Harding Highway E. They will be arriving in Marion from Camp Atterbury in Indiana, from where they departed in March.

Brig. Gen. Ron Young, Ohio’s assistant adjutant general for the Army, said the Ohio National Guard currently has about 3,400 members mobilized for the Global War on terror.

“The soldiers of the 1-134th have performed their duties defending against and deterring potential security threats to U.S. military bases in Europe with honor and distinction,” he said in a press release. “We recognize that they and their families made significant sacrifices while they were away from home. We appreciate the enduring support which our communities have shown for our citizen soldiers and their families.”  (Marion Star, Marion, OH)

December 09, 2004 - Small Base Now Big Asset to Military, Local Communities

By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA, American Forces Press Service

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., Dec. 9, 2004 -- For more than 50 years, the only life here was on weekends and for two weeks in the summer. Now, you actually have to keep a watchful eye for marching troops and military convoys at the four-way stop entering the camp.

For the first time since the Korean War, Camp Atterbury, a National Guard training center first activated June 1942 as a World War II training facility, has become an important military asset. Today, it prepares thousands of troops for deployment in the war on terror, while providing millions of dollars in economic impact to the state.

Army Col. Kenneth D. Newlin, who took command here in October 2002, said over the past two years more than 20,000 Army National Guard and Army Reserve members have been mobilized here for duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

That number is expected to remain steady as the Army presses more Guard and Reserve soldiers into active duty and the Defense Department has called for more troops in Iraq. Roughly half of the forces serving there now are Guard and Reserve members.

Newlin said the camp's gymnasium, which serves as the personnel readiness center, processes an average of 200 soldiers each day. Often, the center operated seven days a week.

A mix of units comes here: medical, engineer, infantry, armor and even training. For example, recently the 98th Division (Institutional Training) out of New York, a unit that consists mostly of drill sergeants, deployed to help the 42nd Infantry Division train the Iraqi army.

The camp's 64 beige concrete barracks house about 4,500 soldiers from more than 39 Guard and Reserve units from across the country, part of the third rotation of troops bound for Iraq. They will spend six to eight weeks in training, learning to avoid convoy ambushes and how to identify unexploded ordnance, two of the most serious dangers they will face in duty.

Newlin said the training here is based on the 40 Warrior Tasks directed by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker. All soldiers, regardless of specialty, must be proficient in the tasks, which include rifle and survival skills.

Besides those tasks, there are individual and collective training events in which soldiers are put in a forward operating base laid out exactly as they would see in Iraq. The idea is for soldiers to "see, smell and train" in the environment they would experience in Iraq, he said.

Iraqi nationals are brought in to be role players and play the role of insurgents to make the scenario more realistic. The FOB is attacked with mortar fire, and vehicle convoys are hit with improvised explosive devices.

During one part of the training, a convoy travels through a village. There, it is stopped, and plastic explosives are set off to simulate an IED. The sound of the blast "literally rocks their world," Newlin said.

"This is not just a little 'pop and drop simulator,'" he said. "The fireball cuts through the air, the black smoke billows out, and the concussion hits you in the face. Talk about shock effect; they know they just got blown up."

The soldiers are trained to fend off such an attack. At the convoy live-fire range, soldiers must engage targets on both sides of the vehicle, using whatever individual or crew-served weapon systems are available, from M-4, M- 249, to Mark 19 and .50-caliber weapons systems.

The training is based on lessons learned from Guard and Reserve units now in Iraq, Newlin said. Some training, however, is refresher courses for tasks learned in basic training, such as first aid and radio communications. Other training, such as rappelling, is designed to build the soldiers' confidence, Newlin explained.

Farewell ceremonies have become an almost weekly ritual here, and Camp Atterbury leaders treat each as a family affair. That's because many of the Guard and Reserve members departing are soldiers they have served with.

"It tough here," Newlin said. "About everyone I've known has deployed somewhere in some fashion or capacity.

"I'm proud to be training and mobilizing them," he continued, "because I truly look at every one of these soldiers as a brother and a friend. And in many cases, most of them are."

Newlin said the 113th Engineer Battalion, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana Army National Guard, is currently training at the camp mobilizing for duty in Iraq. It is the unit where he learned to lead soldiers as a noncommissioned officer, and he commanded until just two years ago.

While the units here await marching orders, soldiers spend off-duty time at the few facilities and activities the camp offers -- a shoppette, a physical fitness center, an "All Ranks" club, a laundry, a barbershop and a movie theater. Newlin said that though Camp Atterbury is small in size aspirations here are big. Since the war on terror began, the installation has become a viable asset to the military.

In February 2002, the Army mobilized Camp Atterbury, the first National Guard mobilization station to be called into service. As a Forces Command Power Support Platform, Camp Atterbury serves as a mobilization and training site for Guard and Reserve troops preparing for the war on terror. That same year, the camp was re-designated by the National Guard Bureau as a Joint Maneuver Training Center, making Camp Atterbury the premier training center in the state.

Newlin said that by becoming a joint training center, Camp Atterbury has fallen in line with the Chief of National Guard Bureau's vision of conducting more joint operations. He said the ability of the camp to "train all components of the services here, and a number of them in joint roles, is part of our ability to adapt and remain viable."

In fact, Guard and Reserve personnel from all services use the camp's training ranges. And Air National Guard units from Indiana and neighboring Kentucky use it to fly sorties overhead and to practice equipment drops from C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Local state and federal law enforcement authorities use the live-fire ranges to hone their rifle skills.

The Army decision to activate the camp also has meant more military construction dollars for renovations and other quality-of-life improvements. The camp's first commercial franchise, a Subway sandwich shop is set to open next week. It will be the first such franchise on a National Guard base.

Construction has also begun on an $8 million battle simulation center that will enhance training, Newlin said. But what may make Camp Atterbury the NTC of the National Guard is the acquisition of the Muscatatuck State Developmental Center. The sprawling facility, once used to treat people with disabilities, is less than 45 miles east of the camp, and is closing soon. It would cost the state upwards of $40 million to destroy the facility and restore it for agricultural use.

However, Newlin said, Indiana National Guard leaders are hopeful that the ultimate urban warfare-training center could be created there and have put a proposal before the state legislature to do so.

"This would be 10 times the size of any CACTF that's out there," he said. "And it's going to allow us to replicate a more realistic environment for urban training. Instead of having a bunch of cookie-cutter buildings, all made of the same type of materials or facades of materials, you're actually going into a living, breathing city that is self-sustaining."

The residential facility has nearly 1,000 acres of land and some 70 buildings, including a five-story hospital, a minimum-security prison, a school, housing, administrative buildings and its own power station and water treatment plant. A kitchen facility there is capable of serving 4,500 meals three times a day.

Another advantage is the area's large buffer zones, Newlin said -- nearly 1,900 acres to the north and 800 acres to the south of agricultural and forest lands would clear the facility of encroachment. It also has 3,000 feet of underground tunnels, Newlin said, interconnecting the various buildings.

The resurgence of Camp Atterbury and its plans for expansion don't seem to bother the roughly 4,500 residents in the small farming town of Edinburgh where the camp is located. The yellow ribbons on car bumpers and rear windows indicate that many of the people here support the troops.

The local theater gives discounts "all evening, all shows" to those with military ID. And the case of popcorn that sits by Newlin's office door was donated by the local Boy Scouts for the troops, he explained.

Then there is the self-described "Little Old Popcorn Lady." Her business, "Popcorn and More" sells the treat in 100 flavors. Newlin said she ensures that every soldier arriving here gets a bag of the caramel-flavored treat along with a welcome note.

Newlin said he believes the community's appreciation for Camp Atterbury comes in part from the huge economic impact it has on the local community. During fiscal 2003 Camp Atterbury provided more than $78 million to the local community with everything from laundry services to the local seamstress who is kept busy sewing patches and American flags on military uniforms.

"This is truly one of the largest businesses in southern Indiana," Newlin said. The manager of a local pizza-delivery business called to personally thank Newlin, saying that his business increased so much he had to buy a second oven -- which means the pizza delivery traffic here will double. That's something else to watch out for at the camp's main intersection.

(Army Sgt. Les Newport, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs Office, contributed to this report.)

December 10, 2004 - Iraq-bound Hoosier soldiers bid farewell

Six-year-old Abigail Hines recited the prayer with her mother to try to stop the tears.

Her dad, Maj. Steve Hines, who grew up in Muncie, will leave for Iraq sometime before Christmas. He'll be gone for at least a year.

"My Daddy is helping to keep our land free," Susan Hines said, reciting the poem that is embroidered on a pillow Abigail shares with her twin sister, Kelly. "God bless him, and bring him home safely to me."  Abigail buried her head in her mother's hug.  "I know you don't want Daddy to go, honey," Susan Hines said. "I know. It will be OK."

Maj. Hines and about 600 Indiana National Guardsmen stood at attention Thursday morning at Camp Atterbury to bid Indiana a formal farewell. Most soldiers will depart for Iraq within the next few weeks.  Thursday's ceremony was just one part of the deployment drama that unfolds daily at Atterbury, a major military training camp south of Indianapolis.

Wearing fresh desert camouflage uniforms, the citizen-soldiers stood stoic and silent before a crowd of about 300 family members and friends, who came from across Indiana to give a ceremonial good-bye.  "Face the fears ahead," said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General for the State of Indiana, who addressed soldiers Thursday morning. He implored them to remember key values such as loyalty, respect and courage during the mission overseas, urging them to "always do what is right."  "There will be dangers and adversities," he said. "You are the best of the best. You are ready and I know you will serve us well."

Most departing soldiers, including Hines, will have a chance to spend at least a weekend at home with their families before being deployed.

"I think the general consensus is that having to go through the good-byes over and over again is rough," said Tammy Shatto, Columbus, whose husband, Lt. Col. Richard Shatto commands the 113th Engineer Battalion. About 440 of the soldiers who gathered Thursday are members of the Gary-based 113th.  "It's been a roller coaster," Shatto said.

Meanwhile, in a nearby building Thursday, about 200 fellow Guardsmen, dressed in well-worn Army greens, gathered in a casual assembly for about eight hours of eye-glazing briefings.

The soldiers, a number of whom are from the Marion and Muncie areas, returned home from Bosnia last week after a year-long deployment. The five-day demobilization process is designed to help them readjust to civilian life.

"Our idea is to get you back into blue jeans and golf shirts - physically, mentally and emotionally," said Rod Merrell, a disabled veteran who emcees Atterbury's demobilization procedures.

Since February 2003, about 6,700 soldiers have returned to demobilize at Camp Atterbury, according to the camp's public affairs office. During the same time period, about 16,600 Guard and Reserve soldiers have shipped out.

A member of the 113th Engineering Battalion, Maj. Hines, 38, said he is "apprehensive" about going to Iraq. But he is ready to do his part.

Also departing in the next few weeks are about 130 members of the 1438th Transportation Co., and about 80 members of the 938th and 939th Military Police Detachment, public affairs officials at Camp Atterbury said.

Soldiers just home from Bosnia won't have to worry about a redeployment for at least 12 months, said Gen. Timothy Wright, who commanded Task Force Eagle in Bosnia. He stood in line for lunch Thursday during a break from marathon briefings.

"We've lived together for a year," said Wright, 57, adding that soldiers slog through demobilization in good spirits knowing they're just a few days from going home for good. "We all know each other. We're like a family." (KRISTIN HARTY, Star Press, Marion IN)

December 10, 2004 - Engineer Unit Makes Sure New Soldiers Feel At Home

When Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Smith was asked by a visitor if he could send for a couple of soldiers from the 844th Engineer (Combat Heavy) Battalion to talk about their pending deployment to Iraq, the entire Charlie Company knocked on his door.

It was if they all had something they wanted to say about this unit. And the interview quickly moved from the sergeant major's tiny office here to a nearby dining facility.

"This group here is my extended family," Smith said while introducing the soldiers. "We are all family in this room."

If that is the case, then Camp Atterbury is the site for the annual family reunion. And many of the soldiers who have come to this rural Indiana National Guard Training Center awaiting possible deployment to Iraq are like distant cousins meeting for the first time: The 844th is made up of nearly 200 soldiers who came from other units.

Most of the soldiers in Charlie Company never knew each other or trained together before arriving here just seven weeks ago. But you wouldn't know it from talking to its members.

Despite being together for such a short time, 844th leaders here have built a family that has bonded like no other. Like many Guard and Reserve units suffering personnel shortages, Lt. Col. Donato Dinello, the 844th commander, said his unit had to be pieced together with soldiers from other units. It's a practice the Reserve calls "cross-leveling," in which soldiers are borrowed from other units to fill vacancies. Other voids are filled with Individual Ready Reserve members, discharged soldiers called back on active duty.

To maintain cohesion and to ensure that new soldiers felt part of the unit, Dinello said the plan was to get cross-level soldiers "rapidly assimilated" into the unit.  "My exact comments were, 'Bring them in here, treat them like they've always been here, and get them accustomed to our way of doing things,'" he said.

Dinello said bringing in "cross-levels" and IRR soldiers to help meet readiness levels is not a common practice in the reserves during peacetime, but that "it's quite common during times of war. The priority is to fill the unit deploying ahead of you."

That explains the personnel shortages in the 844th. The practice of swapping out soldiers hit the Knoxville, Tenn.-based unit hard as it prepared to take part in the third rotation of troops to Iraq.  Dinello said that when the 844th got orders to mobilize, it was without nearly 170 of its soldiers and some of its best leaders. Many of those leaders already had deployed to Iraq or had just returned after filling vacancies in other Reserve units during the first two rotations of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Knowing he would need those veterans to carry the unit on its current mission, Dinello personally asked many of those who had returned after serving as many as 14 months of duty to go back again, this time with their own unit.  "I just asked them one by one, and I told them, 'Hey, I need you to go back with me,' Dinello said soberly. "And each and every one of them said, 'Yes.'"

It is that kind of dedicated service and devotion that the newcomers to Charlie Company respect most about serving in this unit. Not only do they feel they belong here, but they express confidence in the experienced leadership, which makes them feel more secure about their mission, Dinello said.

Spc. Moneka Smith, 24, of Decatur Ga., is a cross-level soldier who was studying to become a registered nurse at Georgia Military Institute when she got orders to join the 844th. Prior to her arrival here in October, she received a welcome packet from the 844th that told everything about the unit, the history and the mission. She said the gesture "really made us feel like we were part of the family."

"It's always difficult," she said. "Coming into a new unit being a cross-level soldier, coming to a new place, a new state, and not knowing anyone or anything about the unit is hard, but I trust my leaders. You always have that fear, especially when you know that there are terrorists out there. However, I feel very confident, because we have a lot of experienced leaders who have been in combat before, and that helps relieve most of the fear that I have about this mission. I know they are going to take care of us."

Added Sgt. Ryan Hartley, 26, an individual ready reservist from Rochester, N.Y., who is back on active duty after a one-year hiatus: "Having so many soldiers who have never trained together, and to come together like we have, it is definitely amazing. I would definitely, without a question, follow this unit into battle."

It is that family-like togetherness that Smith feels will sustain this unit in what may be it toughest mission yet.  "We must take care of each other like family. If we don't, then we will falter," he said. "From squad leader, to platoon sergeant, to the first sergeant and commander, we take care of each other. It's like being a father, and this is my family. You want the best for them." (By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA American Forces Press Service )

December 11, 2004 - Army closes armor gap - Guard troops, vehicles to get plates before entering Iraq

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP - All Pennsylvania National Guard troops and their vehicles will have armor before they enter Iraq, Army officials said yesterday.

Also yesterday, the Army official who helps run the program that provides armor for Humvees said that every Humvee requiring armor in the combat zone will have it within 90 days. The only unarmored Humvees will be in protected bases.

And the Army entered negotiations with an armor manufacturer yesterday in an effort to accelerate production of armored versions of the Humvee to get them to the troops faster, Army and company officials said.

The issue arose on Wednesday when Army Reserve Spc. Thomas Wilson, 31, of Nashville, Tenn., questioned Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a question-and-answer session in Kuwait about why some U.S. troops lacked adequate safety equipment. Wilson told Rumsfeld that some soldiers must pick through dumps looking for pieces of bullet-proof glass and armor plate to protect their Humvees.

Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey spoke with officials at Armor Holdings Inc., based in Jacksonville, Fla., who told him yesterday they could increase production by up to 100 vehicles a month. The company is producing 450 armored Humvees a month.

Army officials had previously believed the factory was working at capacity until the company told the news media Thursday that it was willing to boost production. Democrats immediately criticized the Bush administration for not boosting production sooner.

Company officials said the Armor Holdings plant was not immediately capable of boosting output. Armor Holdings said in a statement yesterday that it could increase its rate of production by February or March.

In addition, the Army would also have to go to Congress for additional funding if Armor Holdings sought more money, officials said. The cost of armored Humvees is about $150,000 each.

The Army has ordered 8,105 of the armored Humvees, and 5,910 are in Iraq, Afghanistan and nearby countries.

Of 19,000 Humvees used in Iraq and Afghanistan, 15,000 are armored, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Of those, about 6,000 have been equipped with the most up-to-date armor installed at Armor Holdings.

A fully armored Humvee is designed to withstand 8 pounds of explosive under the engine or 4 pounds of explosive under the crew cab.

But that's no guarantee of safety. If a 155 mm artillery shell is converted into a roadside bomb, even an armored Bradley or an M1 Abrams tank -- both stronger than an armored Humvee -- might not be enough protection.

The military has purchased thousands of kits with bolt-on armor, but several thousand Humvees, and thousands more heavy trucks, remain without armor for use against insurgent bombs, guns and rockets.

In an e-mail to Fort Indiantown Gap officials, Lt. Col. Philip J. Logan, the commander of Task Force Dragoon in Kuwait, said his troops -- many of them Pennsylvania National Guardsmen -- are getting ready to drive out of Kuwait into Iraq.  "All wheeled vehicles being driven north will have some form of armor on them," Logan said.  He said soldiers under his command will not be allowed to enter Iraq unless they have been issued body armor.

"No soldier will leave Kuwait without [armor] plates," said Logan, of the 1st Battalion of the 103rd Armor, Johnstown. "If they don't get them, they don't leave [Kuwait]. Period."

Col. Harry E. Coulter is preparing to lead 2,400 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers into Kuwait for advanced training and then into Iraq in early summer. He also said every soldier will get body armor.  A Pentagon spokesman went further, saying all U.S. soldiers, no matter what unit, will have body armor. "I know there's enough [body] armor in theater to take care of everybody," said Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Rodney.

Lt. Col. Gregory Julian of the Atlanta-based Coalition Forces Land Components Command said there are 10 depots in Kuwait and Iraq where armor plate is added to the Humvees.  "All the vehicles that are being driven into Iraq are up-armored or have add-on armor," Julian said. If the vehicles aren't armored, they will be hauled in.

Once inside Iraq, unarmored vehicles could be upgraded with armor or they could be used in a secure site, a National Guard spokesman said.  Sgt. Maj. Vincent Conti, of Ringtown, Columbia County, spent six months in Iraq and returned Oct. 30.  "When I was there, they were updating the vehicles," said Conti, a member of the state National Guard's 55th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division Mechanized. "They were working on that continuously while I was in theater."

Conti said some of the Humvees had updated body armor.  "Not a lot of them. They were still updating them as they were coming into country. Kits that they put on them with the doors, the bullet-proof glass," Conti said.

Workers at Letterkenny Army Depot made 860 armor kits for Humvees from January through April. Now, Letterkenny workers are making 150 armor kits to be installed on 5,000-gallon fuel tankers, said Col. William Guinn, commander of Letterkenny Army Depot.  "We're just one of many, many sites doing it," Guinn said of depots producing armor kits for soldiers.

Guinn said he expects the Army to assign Letterkenny and other depots to make armor kits for five-ton trucks. About 108 kits will be made at Letterkenny. Guinn anticipates Letterkenny will get more armor-making missions after that.  Letterkenny's traditional role is repairing air defense and tactical missile systems.

"The Army was throwing a pretty darn wide net, saying if you have the capability to cut and bend steel, we want you to start doing that," Guinn said.  Letterkenny workers were turning out roughly 75 armor kits a week during the Humvee mission. Guinn said the employees signed their name on a note placed in each kit saying the armor was made by workers at Letterkenny.

"We got letters back from soldiers in Iraq thanking them. That's a pretty good motivator," Guinn said, adding that many of the Letterkenny workers are veterans.  Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, who continually decried the lack of equipment during his unsuccessful presidential campaign, yesterday called on Rumsfeld to investigate.  Several companies that manufacture protective equipment have indicated they can significantly boost production, Kerry said in a letter to Rumsfeld.

While there seems to be enough body armor and many of the Humvees have armor plate, there are other shortages, Logan said.  "Radios are an issue. Not all vehicles will [or are authorized] to have them," Logan wrote in the e-mail. "Any vehicle that doesn't have a radio will be embedded between other vehicles that do. We are only talking about a minuscule number at this point."

Logan said soldiers still rely on "family radio service" walkie-talkies, similar to citizens band radios, that soldiers buy at post exchanges to talk between vehicles.  "Good ol' FRS radios, not allowed, but everyone has them," Logan said. "We are working to get radios for all. It is a theater-wide problem."

Conti said there is no difference between weapons, Humvees and armor that the Army gives to regular Army or National Guard and reserve soldiers.  "There is no discretion between whether you are Army Guard, Army Reserve or active components," Conti said. "They are all treated the same. No matter where you come from, what state you come from, whether you're a guardsman or a reservist. They don't even look at that."  (TOM BOWMAN, Of The Patriot-News )

December 14, 2004 - Battle of the Bulge Remembered 60 Years Later

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

DIEKIRCH, Luxembourg, Dec. 14, 2004 — Veterans, service-members and government and military representatives are arriving here along the Belgium-Luxembourg border to begin a full week of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

Sixty years ago this week, Allied and German forces faced off in the Battle of the Ardennes, more commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge because of the "bulge" the Germans placed on the thinly held Allied lines in the region.

Commemoration events will include ceremonies, concerts, parades and wreath- layings, and planners say veterans should turn out in droves in what is expected to be an increasingly rare event as their numbers dwindle. Already, Bastogne is flying scores of U.S. and German flags in honor of its annual Battle of the Bulge observance on Dec. 18.

The Battle of the Bulge proved to be one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War II — one that demonstrated the resolve of the U.S. Army despite being heavily outnumbered and faced with extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

In the winter of 1944, Germany was losing the war. The Allies had invaded France in June and were driving the Germans east. But Adolph Hitler, not about to accept his fate, had directed an ambitious counteroffensive as a desperate, last-ditch effort to halt the Allied advance that began six months earlier during the D-Day invasion.

He had hoped the offensive to be a turning point of the war in Germany's favor, but ultimately it turned out to be a disastrous mistake that claimed tens of thousands of lives.

During its four-week course, more than 1 million soldiers fought the battle: some 500,000 Americans, 600,000 Germans and 55,000 British. Each side lost more than 800 tanks, and the Germans lost 1,000 aircraft.

Some 30 Germany divisions launched the counteroffensive in the early morning hours of Dec. 16, 1944, against the Allies in the heavily forested Belgian Ardennes region. Besides being outnumbered, the Americans were taken by surprise, because at the time, the Ardennes was being used as a rest and recuperation area.

The front stretched 85 miles along the borders of Belgium and Luxembourg. U.S. units facing the main German offensive included the war-weary 26th Infantry Division, the unseasoned 106th and 99th divisions, the 2nd Division, an element of the 9th Armored Division, and some smaller units.

After a two-hour bombardment, the German forces had pushed back the Americans, using the element of surprise, lack of communication, their overwhelming numbers and bitter winter conditions to their advantage.

A huge snowstorm also worked against the Allies, who were unable to call in their air power to intervene.

On Dec. 22, Hitler sent a message to the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, U.S. Maj. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, calling for his surrender. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, McAuliffe made his now- famous response to Hitler's request: "Nuts!"

Later that day, the skies cleared, reinforcements were airdropped to McAuliffe's garrison, and Allied planes began their attack on German tanks.

On Dec. 23, the United States troops began their first counterattack on the southern flank of the Ardennes "bulge." The struggle between the Allies and the Germans continued until Jan. 16, 1944, after the Allies' original line in Ardennes was restored.

Military scholars attribute the U.S. victory on the battlefields of Belgium and Luxembourg to small-unit actions, which deprived the Germans of the key commodity they needed to win: speed.

On the first day of the attack, the U.S. 99th Infantry Division and 291st Combat Battalion held most of their ground against the German 6th Panzer Army, creating what would become the northern shoulder. Also significant, historians say, was the holding of St. Vith four days beyond the Germans' timetable by the 7th Armored Division, 106th Infantry Division, along with elements of the 9th Armored and 28th Infantry divisions.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later called the victory at the Battle of the Bulge one of the greatest of the war.

But that victory came at a tremendous cost, with the toll severe on both sides of the Atlantic. About 19,000 U.S. soldiers died, and 47,500 were wounded and more than 23,000 missing. The British suffered 1,400 casualties with 200 killed. And the Germans had 100,000 soldiers killed, wounded or captured.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, in telling the story of the Battle of the Bulge last week to troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, called it "part of a struggle that brought freedom to a huge part of the world in Europe and helped make this country much more safe and secure."

He told the troops that they're doing the same thing today, 60 years later, and that history will remember them and their sacrifices.

"It is a sacrifice that I believe your children and grandchildren will look back (on) and say, you were part of another great generation," Wolfowitz said.

December 15, 2004 - Luxembourg Officials Thank Battle of Bulge Vets

CLERVAUX, Luxembourg — Luxembourg officials opened a weeklong lineup of ceremonies and observances throughout the Ardennes region here today by thanking about 100 veterans of the Battle of the Bulge for liberating them from their German occupiers 60 years ago.

Camille Kohn, president of CEBA, French acronym for a Battle of the Bulge research organization, told the veterans the nation feels "immense gratitude" for the American soldiers who liberated it after five years of oppression.

Kohn joined Clervaux Mayor Francis Stephany in laying flowers at the foot of the GI Monument during a solemn ceremony in the town center. The statue of a war-weary foot soldier was erected in the early 1980s to share the story of Clervaux's liberation with future generations, Kohn said. It represents "the immense gratitude we have borne in our hearts, carved into metal for all eternity," he told the veterans.

In overcoming the Germans, Kohn said the Americans conquered more than an enemy force. "You conquered the hearts of an oppressed people," he said. "And we are deeply indebted to the United States for all that your gracious nation did for us."

Stephany said his townspeople and countrymen have never forgotten the actions the U.S. military took six decades ago to free Luxembourg. He told the veterans — most now in their late 70s and 80s — that his nation remains grateful and "will never forgot those who paid the full price" of victory.

It's important for the Luxembourgers to share this message with younger generations so they too will understand the cost of freedom and recognize that oppression can't be permitted to stand, Stephany said.

It's a lesson as applicable today as 60 years ago, he said, particularly in light of the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. "Now it's up to us to help sustain" the war against terrorism "so we can continue to live in freedom," he told the group.

Veterans at the ceremony, many with family members at their sides, said it was gratifying to receive heartfelt thanks for their actions during what many called a turning point in their lives.

"I went in and 18 and came out as an old man at 21," said former Army Spc. Carl Dalke, who served with the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Dalke acknowledged that he and his fellow soldiers endured "gut-wrenching experiences" as they faced brutal weather conditions and limited food supplies while facing off against a massive German force. He still tears up as he remembers losing his best friend during the first week of the war, and called his visit to the 60th anniversary commemoration a fitting way to remember him and other 19,000 U.S. troops who died here.

Despite the heartaches associated with the war, Dalke said he "came away with a love" of the local people for helping him and other soldiers. He remembers with fondness the local people sharing food with the hungry troops, and taking their sheets off their beds so the soldiers could use them as camouflage against the snow.

Former Army Sgt. Pat Murphy was 18 when he served with the 78th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge and admits that he "didn't think I'd live to see 19."

Now 78, Murphy said he felt it important to attend the commemoration as the number of World War II veterans dwindles. "Let's face it," he said with tears forming in his eyes, "this is probably our last big anniversary."

He said the visit is a way for him to remember the past "and to pay respect for all my buddies who were killed or badly wounded." Murphy considers himself "extremely lucky": 87 percent of his division was killed or wounded during the war.

Gus Swiersz, a staff sergeant with the 28th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge, said the visit to the 60th anniversary commemoration was "much more emotional to me" than previous return visits to the region.

This time, he brought along his son and his 11-year-old grandson, Matthew, so they could relive with him his experiences as a squad leader who encountered what he believes were the opening shots of the campaign.

"We have three generations here," Swiersz said. "We're all experiencing this together." (By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service)

December 16, 2004 - Belgium honors Bulge vets

Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- There are not many places in Europe where the Stars and Stripes flutters from public buildings, where locals express their "Thanks to the Yanks" and where Americans are revered as saviors -- but the Belgian town of Bastogne is one of them.

If my children are free it is thanks to you," local resident Pascale Hane tells Ahren Jacobson, an 83-year old veteran in town for the 60th anniversary of the "Battle of the Bulge," Nazi Germany's last, desperate throw of the dice on the western front. "You are incredible. I can't believe what you did back then. You are real heroes."

The feeling is shared by many other Belgians in this Ardennes town that saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting in World War II. "Bastogne says to you: thank you very much," reads a sign in one shop window. In the visitors' book of the Bastogne Historical Center, one local has written in French: "I have a great admiration for every one of the soldiers who came from so far to liberate us from the Germans." Another says simply: "We will never forget you."

The people of Bastogne and Belgium have every reason to feel grateful to the United States. On Dec. 16, 1944, the German army launched its last major counter-offensive of the war when a quarter of a million troops poured through a lightly defended gap in the Allied defenses. The Nazis' aim was to quickly take the lightly defended towns of the Ardennes Forest, seize the strategically important supply port of Antwerp, and drive a wedge between Allied forces in the Netherlands and northern France.

What the Wehrmacht did not count on was the U.S. Army's refusal to buckle under enormous pressure. Outnumbered by a ratio of three to one, badly equipped and often untested in combat, the soldiers of the 80,000-strong American Eighth Army Corps were completely taken by surprise in the early hours of Dec. 16.

James Manning, an 85-year old veteran of the North African and Sicilian campaigns, was one of thousands of troops from the 106th Infantry Division to surrender within days of the German onslaught. In the Ardennes for the first time in 60 years, along with over 200 ex-soldiers flown over by the Belgian government, Manning told United Press International: "Being here brings back memories of the fog and the cold. Apart from being captured, it is one of the worst things that can happen to you in wartime, because you lose your freedom to move."

Thomas Galante, 88, a combat engineer who served in the 28th Infantry Division, also remembers the freezing winter of 1944-45, when the mercury plunged to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit and snow stopped supplies from arriving. "Most of the time during the Battle of the Bulge, I just complained of the cold. It brings back chilling memories -- in both senses of the word."

Galante, who landed in Europe 20 days after D-Day, says the feeling of being pushed back by the Germans in the early days of the Ardennes campaign was humiliating for U.S. troops used to victory. "In Normandy, we felt were winning. The Germans were on the run, and we went through them like sand through a sieve. But when they started chasing us, that's when we felt depressed."

Within a week, Bastogne was encircled as the Allied line bulged and Nazi troops pushed toward the River Meuse. "We can still lose this war," said Gen. George S. Patton, whose Third Army sped north from Lorraine to support the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne. But Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, commander of the besieged garrison, refused to entertain the idea of defeat. On Dec. 22, 1944, the Germans delivered an ultimatum to the American troops holed up in Bastogne: surrender of face annihilation. McAuliffe's reply has entered the annals of history. "To the German commander: NUTS! The American commander."

By the end of January, German troops had been pushed back to their original positions -- but at a terrible cost. Almost one million American soldiers fought in the U.S. Army's biggest-ever military engagement and 80,000 were killed or wounded. Over 100,000 Germans also lost their lives in the frozen hills of the Ardennes, along with countless numbers of Belgian civilians.

Sixty years on, there are few signs of the devastation wrought by the war in the rolling countryside around Bastogne. But in the Henri-Chapelle cemetery outside the town, 7,992 Christian crosses and Stars of David pay tribute to the young American soldiers who died to free Europe from Nazi tyranny.

For veterans like Robert Reed, who was only 19 when he joined the anti-tank platoon of the 87th Infantry Division, these well-kept graves are more than just memorials; they are where friends and comrades rest in peace. "When my two buddies died in battle, I took it as a matter of fact. But when I see their crosses in the cemetery, it all comes flooding back," says the 79-year old, wiping a tear from his eye. "They were the best group of guys I have ever known."

On Saturday, King Albert II, actor Tom Hanks and a host of other dignitaries will honor Reed and hundreds of other veterans at a ceremony below the star-shaped Mardasson Memorial on the outskirts of Bastogne. The panels around the five sides of this hulking monument, which is inscribed with the names of the 50 U.S. states, tell a story of extraordinary heroism in extraordinary times. "Of those dead and of all those who fought here, the now living may attest the greatness of the deed only by increased devotion to the freedom for which they braved the fire."

Like many of the veterans almost certainly visiting Belgium for the last time, Reed wears his modesty like a badge of honor. "Sometimes I feel I am unworthy of this gratitude. I didn't do anything big," says the New Hampshire resident, who went on to fight in Japan in the dying months of the war. "But the Belgian people don't forget."

They certainly do not. On Bastogne's central square, which is dotted with bars like Nuts cafe, Grill McAuliffe and Patton's cafe, a gaggle of schoolchildren pose for photos with a group of veterans in front of a Sherman tank.

"The heart of the Bastogne is 200 percent behind the American people," says Olivier Delmee, president of the local tourist office. "I know some people in Europe think the U.S. Army is not doing a good job in Iraq, but the mindset here is totally different, because we know what the Americans did and the sacrifices they made." (By Gareth Harding, Chief European Correspondent - UPI)

December 16, 2004 - Baptism by fire - Today marks 60th anniversary of WWII battle

DIAMOND VALLEY -- Sixty years ago today, John Curt Hodges was a 20-year-old soldier experiencing war for the first time.

His 106th Infantry Division was fresh off a boat from the United States when it was attacked by a seasoned German army. It happened near a town called St. Vith in eastern Belgium. It was an offensive that later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Hodges, now 80, does not look old enough to have fought in World War II. Though he uses a wheelchair, he is still able to walk with a cane and his graying beard has plenty of dark whiskers.

The veteran lives in a brick house on a quiet hill overlooking Diamond Valley. He and his late wife built the area's second house in 1983. During Hodges' career in real estate, he helped fill the valley with more than 200 homes, something he now questions when he looks out across the once-empty landscape.

Questioning decisions was part of being in the 424th Regiment following the Battle of the Bulge. Hodges was a transport corporal in the 424th's heavy weapons company, part of the larger 106th Infantry Division. The 106th was attacked by German troops on Dec. 16, 1944, eventually wiping out the 422nd and the 423rd regiments. The 424th retreated.

According to historical accounts, many in the 424th questioned whether they did the right thing by pulling back and losing the ground they were trying to hold. But the same accounts praise the young troops for holding out as long as they did, fending off a massive German offensive against the untried division. The average age of the 106th was 22.

Among Hodges' war memorabilia is a pamphlet about the 106th, issued by the Army's Information and Education Services following the war. It describes the pre-battle atmosphere of the wooded, snow-covered ridge northeast of Luxembourg where the battle was fought.

The booklet read, "This was a quiet sector along the Belgium-Germany frontier. For 10 weeks there had been only light patrol activity and the sector was assigned to the 106th so it could gain experience. The baptism by fire that was to come was the first action for the 106th. For many of its men it would be the last."

At 5:40 a.m., 60 years ago today, the German forces attacked Hodges' division head on, surrounding the three regiments and destroying two of them. The Nazis kept moving up fresh troops to replace their wounded and dead, but for the 106th at St. Vith, there were no replacements.

"I'm a miracle man ... the fact that I'm sitting here," Hodges said.

The soldiers spent three days moving from foxhole to tree to bush, he said.

Though the 424th had to pull back, when reinforcements arrived they were given the honor of going back to retake the ground and, in effect, prevent a full German victory. The counter attack began on Christmas Eve.

"Cooks, office help, everyone picked up a rifle and we retook the ground we lost," Hodges said. "That broke the back of the German offensive."

As the battle raged, Hodges' division spent Christmas dodging bullets. Despite the conditions, the Army delivered a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings to increase morale.

"I don't know how they did it," Hodges said, his voice trembling and his eyes filling with tears. "I just don't know."

In order to get the food, each soldier had to sneak around, hiding behind trees to get to the building where the food was. Then they had to dash back out and hide behind another tree to eat.

"Incidentally, there weren't many guys who went back for seconds," Hodges said.

Christmas dinner was not the only reward they got that day. They also took the town of Manhay and held it. A month later they retook St. Vith.

During the battle, Hodges said the soldiers never went anywhere without their guns, gas masks and other equipment. He said they had to be ready for something to happen at any second.

As he spoke of his duties working in the mortar company, Hodges' eyes seemed much younger than his 80 years. They lit up as he described his work in detail, almost jumping out of his wheelchair at times.

The 106th's story is only part of the largest battle in Western Europe during World War II. When it was all over, 8,600 U.S. soldiers were dead and Germany had lost 17,000.

"You talk about war and that's a word," Hodges said. "You live it and it's something else now. It's entirely different." (Brian Passey, Spectrum, UT)

December 18, 2004 - U.S. Soldiers at Battle of the Bulge Honored

BASTOGNE, Belgium — Amid snow flurries and a chilling wind, Belgium's King Albert II honored U.S. soldiers who died fighting Nazi Germany 60 years ago in the Battle of the Bulge, the largest land battle for American forces in war.

Veterans from across the United States returned Saturday to find this market town that was at the center of the fighting much as it was on that bitter cold December in 1944 — covered in snow and buffeted by wind.

The old soldiers, wearing military berets and caps, were greeted with warm applause, hugs and kisses from a grateful crowd that lined the streets.

"I'm very happy to see so many people come out for this event," said Miasy Dumont, 68, from nearby Ludelange, Luxembourg. "This is the last time I'm sure. In 10 years there will be no more veterans."

The king, joined by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (search), R-Ill, led a commemoration and laid wreaths at the vast Mardasson memorial on the edge of town. The ceremony paid homage to the 19,000 American soldiers killed and about 61,000 wounded in the largest land battle for U.S. forces in World War II. The fighting also claimed 120,000 German lives.

"All soldiers memorialized at this monument are part of the greatest generation," said U.S. Gen. James L. Jones (search), Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

After the half-hour ceremony which included a U.S. honor guard from the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, veterans were driven by bus from the towering memorial back to the center of town.

Once there, they again enjoyed warm applause from crowds lining the main street to the town square and attended a sound and light show and a parade of World War II vehicles.

The day began with a parade of veterans, marching bands, World War II-era jeeps, trucks and ambulances through Bastogne. The vehicles rumbled past the town's central square, named for Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander of the 101st Airborne division, whose paratroopers repulsed repeated attacks.

On Dec. 22, 1944, MacAuliffe was given two hours to surrender by the Germans or face "total annihilation." His now famous reply: "Nuts!"  A commemorative throwing of nuts was also to take place at the square.

There were guided walks along the defensive perimeter south of Bastogne that was relieved by Patton's Third Army, which rushed north from France to help defeat the Germans. The battle raged for six-weeks across the Ardennes hills of southern Belgium and Luxembourg, but the market town of 14,000 bore the brunt of the fighting.

"The American veterans who have returned 60 years later to the battle site represent those who gave their lives on our soil so that today we can live free," Bastogne Mayor Philippe Collard said in French at a memorial honoring U.S. General George S. Patton.

He added in English: "we will never forget. You are home here."

Rising out of the Champagne fields of northern France, the Ardennes highlands sweep across southeastern Belgium, cover much of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, then flow into western Germany's Eiffel range.

Sixty years ago, their valleys, trout streams and rolling hills were the scene of Hitler's last gamble. His panzer divisions smashed through the forests, catching the Allies by surprise and driving the front westward in a "bulge" that ran deep into Belgian territory.

There was so much destruction that its impossible to know exactly how many people were killed in action, how many went missing and how many were wounded.

The battle drew in more than a million troops — 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans and 55,000 Britons — who fought in bitter cold from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945.

The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge in Arlington, Va., says 19,000 American troops died in the battle.

The Mardasson Memorial on the edge of Bastogne is built on the spot where German artillery bombarded the Americans in the town below, honoring the U.S. forces killed and wounded during the Ardennes offensive.

The memorial bears the names of U.S. Army units that participated in the action as well as the names of the then 48 U.S. States in bronze letters. There is also a plaque bearing a Latin inscription saying: "Liberatoribus Americanis Populus Belgicus Memor," or "The Belgian People Remember Their American liberators."

December 18, 2004 - Crews bid Hueys goodbye

As a young boy growing up in Fairland, Tim Winslow was mesmerized as he watched the steady stream of UH-1 Huey helicopters flying in and out of the nearby Aviation Support Facility as they conducted operations for the Indiana National Guard.

Winslow, now a major in the Guard and a flight instructor at the Shelbyville base, was on hand last weekend at the Raytheon Hangar at Indianapolis International Airport, where he and more than 200 other Guard members and their families helped retire the Huey, which is being decommissioned after 40 years of service to the U.S. military.

The Huey, as much a symbol of the Vietnam War era as the jeep was to those who fought in World War II, holds a special place in the hearts of those who experienced its unforgettable sound and distinguishing physical characteristics.

After the war, the Huey became the workhorse of the National Guard in Indiana and around the country, where it provided support for many domestic operations, including flood and severe weather rescue as well as emergency medical transport. The Huey also was utilized for continuing military operations at Camp Atterbury in southern Johnson County.

"As you can see here today, the Huey is very closely associated with the Vietnam War; and with the number of Vietnam veterans that we have here today, it has turned out to be quite an emotional event," Winslow said last weekend.

"I have had the pleasure and the luxury of growing up in aviation around many of these veterans. Most are close, personal friends of mine, and I have had the honor of training with them over the years."

Winslow, who now flies the UH-60 Black Hawk, which has been phased in over the past several years, has a great appreciation and admiration for the Huey and its multiple applications.

"The main use of the Huey aircraft is basic utility," Winslow said. "I like to refer to it as a flying pickup truck."

The Huey saw its first action in Vietnam in 1962, when military planners determined that the Army needed a turbine-equipped aircraft to transport troops and supplies. Originally designed as a troop carrier, the Huey was then transformed into an airborne assault vehicle, fitted with rockets and a machine gun.

With its round nose, twin blades and distinctive "whomp, whomp" sound, the Huey was a mainstay in the U.S. war effort and transitioned smoothly into domestic operations when the first was put into service in Indiana in 1971.

Twenty-eight Hueys were in the local National Guard unit's fleet in 1984, and now only six remain, all of which will be sold and shipped overseas in the coming months.

Lew Collier, a retired flight instructor for the Indiana National Guard at the Shelbyville base, piloted the Huey in Vietnam. He then joined the Guard full time after graduating from Indiana University.  "I cut my eyeteeth on the Huey in 1968," Collier said.

"As Brigadier General Frank Wright said in his comments, it was 'high school to flight school' for many of us. It was either that or be drafted for many of us pilots."

Robert Leonard, a tactical operations officer for the aviation brigade who is also stationed out of Shelbyville, has logged thousands of hours in the Huey and was thrilled to have the opportunity to again see many old friends he served with in the past.

"This is a terrifically emotional day for a good many of us," he said.

"Many of these guys (and I) have been flying the Huey for 25-30 years. They have a long background and a lot of history together. It is a bit of a sad day but also a good day because we all get the opportunity to see each other again."

Just after 4 p.m., Leonard, along with copilot Robert Nash and crew chief John Antle, boarded the Huey in the blistering winds outside the Raytheon hangar for the aircraft's final flight, a return trip to the Shelbyville base.

The Huey's mission and service to the state became complete, as many in the crowd bid a tearful farewell to an icon of American military might. (Tim Phillips, Star correspondent, IndyStar.com)

December 19, 2004 - Camp Atterbury gives area troops taste of Iraq fight. Indiana 'Battleground' preps GIs for War

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Army Reserve Spec. Mike Kean peered around, his cold hands tightly gripping the handle of the M-249 machine gun resting atop his Humvee, number seven in a convoy of eight.

He was providing cover as one of his fellow soldiers from the 983rd Engineer Battalion slung a soldier killed in action over his shoulder. He watched as men and women screaming Arabic edged closer and closer to another vehicle in the convoy that had been disabled by an improvised explosive device.

He also kept his eye on a pickup in the distance that a fellow gunner had sprayed with bullets after he saw hooded men standing in the bed firing machine guns in their direction.

Specialist Kean, 25, of the 983rd's Company B, was submerged in a different world among the plywood structures, barrel fires, and other conditions similar to those found in many small, rural Iraqi villages.

But the Monroe man wasn't in the Persian Gulf. He really was not that far from home.

On the 33,000-acre grounds of the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Edinburgh, a small Indiana town about 20 miles south of Indianapolis and a 4 1/2-hour drive from Toledo, Specialist Kean and the other soldiers of the 983rd were being trained to deal with what they might encounter in Iraq.

And for members of the 983rd Engineering Battalion, Iraq - not home -is their next stop.

"This is the real deal. It's what we've trained for and what will keep us alive," Specialist Kean, the father of a 2-year-old boy, said of the convoy exercises that employ civilians, including Iraqi nationals, to act as villagers and insurgents.

The situation that Specialist Kean and his fellow soldiers encountered on a recent brisk afternoon in southern Indiana is something American forces are confronted with in Iraq every day. But in the war of Iraq, there are no blanks used, and no fake bombs.

In Iraq, when civilians approach a soldier, they could be a threat. In Iraq, when roadside bombs detonate, soldiers sometimes die.

"You control that battlefield over there; don't let them," Master Sgt. David Fields, an Army trainer, told members of Company B after the training exercise. "Watch out for each other, correct each other. Do your piece of the puzzle. If everybody does their piece of the puzzle, we'll get out of there."

The 983rd, which has an authorized force of 630, was mobilized this summer and reported to Camp Atterbury in late October. The battalion's headquarters and one company are based in Monclova Township. Another company is based in Lima, Ohio, and a third in Southfield, Mich.

The group is expected to be sent to Iraq before the end of this month for a one-year deployment - the unit's first deployment in an armed conflict since World War II.

The engineer battalion will serve as support for reconstruction efforts, such as building roads and infrastructure in Iraqi cities.

Also training at Camp Atterbury are about 480 members of the Ohio Army National Guard's 612th Engineer Battalion, based in Walbridge with companies in Tiffin and Norwalk, and the Ohio National Guard 211th Maintenance Company based in Newark, Ohio.

Capt. Mickey Avalos, 36, of Swanton is commander of the 983rd headquarters company. The assistant principal at Bedford High School, Captain Avalos said his troops have undergone significant training to prepare them for war. A reservist since 1990, Captain Avalos saw action overseas as a lieutenant during Operation Desert Storm. Many of his soldiers, he said, have not.

That's why the reservists have spent more than a month firing weapons, assisting simulated wounded soldiers, and learning demolition techniques at Camp Atterbury.

The camp is one of two training facilities in the country that have been mobilized to prepare troops for Iraq and Afghanistan, said Maj. Mike Brady, the camp's public affairs officer. Since February, 2003, the training center has deployed more than 17,300 National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers.

The training center also has provided support training and facilities for other military service branches, including the Navy SEALs, Marines, and Air Force, as well as local law enforcement and first responders.

On the defensive live fire range at Camp Atterbury, Spec. Sharon Stewart, 24, of Toledo dropped to the ground with her M-16A2 in hand and shot at pop-up targets in the distance. She emptied her magazine - 20 rounds - and looked back as squad leader Sgt. Richard Hatch ran behind her asking soldiers how much ammunition they had left.

"We're black," he told his soldiers, referring to the military term signifying less than 10 percent of ammunition is left.

"We're toast. Get your bayonets out," he joked.

Sergeant Hatch, 36, a husband, father of two young children, and surgical technologist at St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Oregon, said training is where the kinks are worked out.  "We try to get as much training as possible in what little time we have," the Lambertville resident said.

Specialist Stewart, an Owens Community College nursing student, said the training has been vital in preparing her and her fellow soldiers for what lies ahead in Iraq. The mother of a 21-month-old son, she said she's convinced her battalion will be successful overseas and is confident everybody will return home safely.  But she knows she won't be home for Christmas, a reality she's still getting used to, just as her aunt is getting used to caring for her toddler while she is deployed.

"In terms of training, I'm ready," said the 1998 graduate of St. Ursula Academy. "Mentally, it's still kind of unbelievable that I'm going."

Lt. Col. Kevin McLinn, commander of the entire 983rd Battalion, returned recently from a two-week trip to Iraq, where he was briefed on how to ensure a "seamless" transfer of power from the Cincinnati-based 512th Engineering Battalion that soon will be on its way home.

"Everybody is waiting to hear what I learned: 'How is the food? What are the living conditions? Did I get shot at?'" said Colonel McLinn, 44, of Indianapolis.

"The food is fantastic, and no, I actually never got shot at," he said.

Major Brady said the Army constantly updates training exercises based on feedback from soldiers serving in Iraq. This gives newly deployed soldiers the chance to anticipate what lies ahead.

For members of the 983rd, who last saw their families over Thanksgiving, the lessons learned at Camp Atterbury are designed to keep them alive.

"This type of training has been brought on by experiences of soldiers right out of the country," said Staff Sgt. Michael Bodine, 39, formerly of Clyde, Ohio, and now a resident of Fort Wayne, Ind. "It's vital to integrate this into training."

On the grounds of the mock Iraqi village, more than a dozen people stood around waiting for the first convoy of Humvees to drive through. The civilians on the battlefield - are contracted by the military to serve as actors creating situations soldiers will come across in Iraq.

The soldiers drove through once, weapons ready, and were greeted by a waving and cheering crowd. Some soldiers waved back.

The second time through, however, things turned nasty.

There was an explosion simulating a roadside bomb and training officers stopped one of the convoy vehicles. "You've just been killed," a soldier was told.

Hiding in the plywood structures, actors portraying Iraqi villagers recognized their cue to approach the convoy to verbally harass and physically confront the soldiers.

Raisan Al Shimray, a tall and imposing man, led the way. Mr. Al Shimray left Iraq after Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait in 1990. After spending nearly eight years in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Al Shimray came to the United States. He became an American citizen on Aug. 7, 2003.

This fall, while working at a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant in Kentucky, Mr. Al Shimray learned from a friend that the Army was looking for civilians to help train soldiers. He signed up, and has been teaching his fellow actors Arabic words to make the training more authentic.

"I want to give you help," Mr. Al Shimray told the 983rd soldiers as he approached them during the convoy exercise.

Sgt. Shane Sanderson, the platoon sergeant, asked him to back up, yelling above the jeering crowd that his soldiers "will be out of your area in a minute" and to "please be patient, please give us room."

Mr. Al Shimray said he saw the perplexed look on many soldiers' faces during the exercise. Though it was just training, the gravity of the situation was clearly not lost on the participating soldiers.

Nonetheless, Mr. Al Shimray was able to pull a big smile out of Sergeant Sanderson, who carried an unloaded M-4, a shorter version of the M-16A2 rifle. In between several loud outbursts in Arabic, Mr. Al Shimray jokingly repeated in a thick accent:

"Please don't shoot me. Please don't shoot me." (ERICA BLAKE, Toledoblade.com)