Members of the 1st Battalion 265 Air Defense Artillery have mobilized and are on a plane headed first to Ft. Bliss, then for federal active duty in the capital region. The troops will be deployed for a year.
"It's going to be all right It's OK if he helps people and everything, and it's his job. He57;s got to do it. He just got to
do it," Jessica Ward said, whose father is being deployed.
Jessica speaks for many when she talks about her father's deployment.
Michael Ward and company are leaving for a year, and that weighs heavy on families.
The 265th is part of Operation Noble Eagle.
They are ordered by the president to the nation's capital, where they will operate high-tech weapons systems against any potential air threat.
Yolanda McCormack is relieved husband Charles isn't headed to Iraq, but there is always a risk.
"Doesn't mean he won't be in the line of fire in Washington, D.C., but it does give me a little comfort," Yolanda McCormack said, whose husband is being deployed.
Families may get one or two opportunities to see loved ones during this year-long deployment, but it57;s not encouraged. Though the solders are staying in the states, they are on serious business.
Staff Sgt. James Todd said duty at home is just as important as the mission overseas.
Poster Comment:
Ter'rists...The Years of Noble Eagle
As of March, Noble Eagle aircraft had flown some 44,000 sorties and had been diverted from patrols or scrambled from strip alert more than 2,200 times in response to threatening activities.
The operation has cost more than $27 billion, according to a recent report prepared by the Congressional Research Service, but it has helped prevent any additional horrific attacks on the US.
No one in authority is needed to declare an end. Gone are the days when Noble Eagle was viewed as a temporary expedient. Now, the focus is on improving command and control of the homeland air defense mission.