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| 11/24/2009 7:44:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Capt. Brian Barth, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 951st "Sapper" Engineer Company, steps aside as 1st Sgt. Greg Fulton embraces the family of Sgt. Ryan Adams at Roryland Memorial Park. Other unit members wait to pay their respects to Pete, Jalene and Amanda Adams, whose son and brother died of injuries from a rocket-propelled grenade attack Oct. 2. The visit was part of the welcome home for the 951st, which returned to Wisconsin Saturday, Nov. 21 after serving approximately 10 months in Afghanistan supporting the 101st Airborne Division. |
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| Members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 951st "Sapper" Engineer Company file into the gym at Rhinelander High School for a brief welcome home ceremony Saturday, Nov. 21 following 10 months in Afghanistan. |
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Battle-proven Wisconsin Guard unit back home
Sgt. 1st Class Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin Army National Guard
The Soldiers of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 951st "Sapper" Engineer Company were in high spirits Saturday [Nov. 21] as two coach buses pulled away from the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, en route to Tomahawk and Rhinelander.
"First Sergeant," someone called out to 1st Sgt. Greg Fulton. "Mom says 'hi.'"
Peals of laughter filled the bus, its passengers heady with the realization that - after approximately 10 months in Afghanistan, supporting the 101st Airborne Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division and 25th Infantry Division - the Sappers were back home in northern Wisconsin.
The air was thick with war stories as three Soldiers sent home with injuries - Spc. Matthew Berth, who received his Purple Heart medal from President Barack Obama; Spc. T.J. Fecteau, shown in the Oct. 12 issue of TIME Magazine, injured in a Sept. 8 attack; and Sgt. 1st Class Scott Spurgeon, a platoon sergeant injured in the same attack that claimed the life of Sgt. Ryan Adams on Oct. 2 in Logar Province - rejoined their brothers in arms for the bus ride to Tomahawk, one of two communities in which the unit is based.
The 951st performed a vitally important but dangerous mission. Sappers traditionally work with explosives, either blowing things up or defusing things they don't want to blow up. For this mission the unit cleared supply routes of roadside bombs, taking to the dangerous Afghanistan roads in mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles. The unit also scouted key terrain features for suitable alternative travel routes, and gathered biometric data - name, date and location of birth, home of record, iris scans and fingerprints - from local residents.
To understand how dangerous their mission was, consider a portion of the medals awarded during this combat tour - 100 combat action badges, four combat medic badges, 15 Purple Hearts, 21 Bronze Star medals, four Bronze Stars with Valor device, five Army Commendation medals with Valor device. According to their higher headquarters, the 951st performed the most dangerous and difficult missions of any element assigned to Task Force Pirate.
Spurgeon was able to laugh at his injuries, noting that he refused plastic surgery in order to keep the scars on his face. A radio commercial about a nationally known car safety device prompted him to joke: "That's what I needed in my MRAP -OnStar!"
As the buses approached the city of Tomahawk, where approximately 30 of the unit's Soldiers are based, the announcer on a local radio station reported that the Soldiers were near. Soon people could be seen lining the roads, signs and flags in hand. A portion of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Tomahawk was closed off to allow the Soldiers to step off the bus and greet grateful residents, who roared their appreciation like fans at Lambeau Field.
"I'm your grandma," one woman kept repeating as she smothered one Soldier after another with hugs. "I'm all of your [company's] grandma."
"Welcome home to the great northwoods," the radio announcer said as the buses pulled away. The song "Build me up Buttercup" came on the radio next, and Soldiers began to sing along in loud, boisterous voices.
"That was awesome," said 1st Lt. Dylan Abler. "It was good to see all the families. [Deployments are] as hard for them as it is for us. When the Soldier deploys, the family deploys."
The mood quieted as the buses pulled into a cemetery, and the Soldiers filed out bearing red, white and blue roses to pay their respects to the family of Sgt. Ryan Adams. Spurgeon and Abler, Adams' platoon sergeant and platoon leader, led the way. Capt. Brian Barth, unit commander, presented the family - father Pete, mother Jalene and sister Amanda - with a Bronze Star with Valor device posthumously awarded to Sgt. Adams. In turn, Pete gave each Soldier a memorial packet containing an angel pin, an elastic green bracelet and a photo of Sgt. Adams, likely from his days in basic training.
One more show of respect for Sgt. Adams remained. As the buses entered Rhinelander, Barth and Fulton stopped to visit the Veterans Memorial marker outside City Hall, where Adams' name was freshly engraved.
Hundreds of people lined the streets of Rhinelander to cheer the Soldiers as they passed, and hundreds more jammed the Rhinelander High School gym for the brief welcome home ceremony, emceed by Spc. Berth.
Cpt. Barth commended his unit in front of family and friends.
"I want to tell you that these Sappers have seen the toughest circumstances to work under, and they handled it in the most professional way," Barth told the audience.
Senior leaders in the Wisconsin National Guard also praised the Sappers for their courage and determination.
"I want you to know how absolutely proud we are of your service," said Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, deputy adjutant general for Army. "They bore the brunt of what the Task Force Pirates were given, because they were the finest Soldiers within that task force."
Brig. Gen. Donald Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, ranked the Sappers high in the pantheon of Wisconsin Guard units.
"The 951st is one of Wisconsin's finest," he said. "They performed superbly. They once again put Wisconsin's mark on the defense of this country.
"This doesn't just happen," Dunbar continued. "It happens because they come from communities like Rhinelander and Tomahawk who send their best men to defend this country.
"I'm so proud of what you've done," he said. "Welcome home, and thank you."
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