1-194th's soldiers roll into St. Cloud

scotto · 12-07-2005, 09:40

1-194th's soldiers roll into St. Cloud
By Tracey Compton

The excitement in the Whitney Recreation Center gymnasium Tuesday could not be contained.
More than 400 people rose to their feet, and some even clamored atop chairs to welcome the 68 soldiers of Company A of the 1-194th Armor Battalion home from duty in Iraq.
The presence of the Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, adjutant general of Minnesota's National Guard, and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis did little to dissuade children, too eager to wait, from breaking free of the crowd to greet their fathers as they lined up in the stands. The officials kept speeches short to give way to the reunions.
"We did not anticipate this. It's great," said organizer Staff Sgt. Ryan Wensmann of the community turnout.
In preparing for the event, Wensmann said he and others planned 240 chairs — about three per soldier — to accommodate soldiers' families and friends. The additional 150 chairs they supplied for the public filled quickly and people lined the walls and second level of the recreation center.
All 152 members of the 1-194th Armor survived their security mission operating out of Camp XXXX, just north of Baghdad. They spent 11 months in Iraq deployed under the control of the 793 Military Police Battalion based out of Germany.
The 1-194th Armor Battalion is headquarted out of Brainerd. Company A consisted of soldiers from all of the other companies within the battalion.
With the odds stacked against them, in the form of improvised explosive devices and mortar shells, Sgt. Dave Isaacs considers the unit blessed or lucky to return together.
Although they were hit, no one died.
"There's no reason (why) we came back together," Isaacs said.
He lost half of his hearing in an explosion, and so far one member of the unit has been awarded a Purple Heart.
Central Minnesota soldiers looked like they knew what they were doing, and Iraqi insurgents seemed to mess with those who didn't, Isaacs said.
"We beat the odds," he said.
Now he is looking forward to getting back to basics, like getting a good night's sleep and eating real food.
While Isaacs was deployed, the furniture company where he had worked went out of business.
"It's gonna be weird not having a job," Isaacs said. "I'm not terribly worried."
Veterans' assistance is 100 percent better than what older veterans encountered, he said.
Sgt. Sean Ladd is looking forward to going back into business for himself. He and his wife ran the Rin Tin Inn dog kennel in Elk River before he was deployed. With an 18-month-old and another baby on the way, they had to close while Ladd was away.
Ladd's father, Cal Ladd, said that business was so popular a lot of customers inquired about the company while his son was gone.
"I'll pick up where I left off," Sean Ladd said, adding that rebuilding his business would keep him pretty busy.

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Snowden · 12-07-2005, 09:45

Thank God they're home again, Scott. It'll take a while to settle down, no doubt, but Christmas will help. And I know you and your family will take a greater-than-ever joy in that.