I stayed glued to radio station WDKN 1260 AM awaiting the updates on the return of the Tennessee National Guard 267th Military Police Company to the Dickson Armory today, Sunday November 1, 2009. Although they were supposed to leave Smyrna at around noon, at 1:30 the radio announcer reported that the Dickson-based TN National Guard Military Police Company had just boarded the buses in Smyrna and were expected to arrive in Dickson at around 3:00 p.m. Updates were coming to the radio station from Sgt. Paul McCallister, who was on one of the buses, to allow the good citizens of Dickson the opportunity to line the return route –I-40 to Hwy 46 into Dickson and then west on Hwy 70 to Henslee drive- to cheer and applaud the return of the these mighty men and woman after a year long deployment in Iraq to assist in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Local stores and restaurants posted signs and the excitement was high as men, women and children lined the return route with flags and signs welcoming the 267th home.
At 1:46, during a live interview with National Guard recruiter Sgt. Paul McCallister, we learned that the 150 soldiers of the 267th were returning in 4 busses escorted by police and motor cycles. Sgt. McCallister also stated that they had arrived in Fort Dix , New Jersey, a week ago and after completing a project were flown to Nashville Airport last night, transferred to Smyrna and had been “out processing” since 6 a.m.
Phone interviews continued live on-air with WDKN throughout the trip from Nashville to Dickson. Lt Gross , when asked, said that his unit provided security for high ranking military in Iraq and participated in the training of Iraqi police forces. When asked what he did during his down time…he shared what he had heard from a General….you join the 300 pound club- you either bench press it or eat your way to it. In reality , Gross said most of them spent time reading, watching movies or the Armed Forces TV network or working out in the gym. Most soldiers could communicate with their loved ones via the internet and could keep up with our sports if they were willing to get up at 2 or 3 in the morning.
Upon arrival at the Armory, after a few minutes to connect with friends and family, the soldiers of the 267th were called to a final formation and addressed by Captain Jackson one last time before being dismissed for leave. He stated that his number One priority had been to bring all of his soldiers home…and he had. And his second priority was to encourage the men and women of the 267th , now that they had arrived home safely, to not do anything foolish to endanger themselves now.
With an official dismissal and a grand Hoorah!, the solders rejoined the people they had missed while in Iraq.
Seeing a mature woman in uniform carrying a full pack, I had to know how she came to find herself returning from deployment. Staff Sgt. Doris Wood was happy to tell me that she had enlisted at 52 years of age in 2008 and had deployed with the 267th in November. She was permitted to enlist at that age because she had served 13 prior years and could reenlist to complete her 20 years for retirement. Having passed the physical requirements, Sgt. Wood passed the physical fitness test and wound up losing 30 pounds while in Iraq. Wood carried her M4 and wore her 35 lb IBA ( Interceptor Body Armor) everywhere and was quite often honored by local Iraqis for her age and ability to keep up with her younger contemporaries . As a Human Resource NCO and a Public Affairs Officer, Wood said she returned to the states with 25,000 photographs.
I spoke with one young soldier whose family was in California and still had a 3 day drive ahead of him to get home!
The return of the Tennessee National Guard 267th Military Police Company was a highly anticipated and well attended event. It was heart warming to see the soldiers re-unite with family and friends after such a long time away and gratifying to know that they had done their jobs well even in hostile territory and terrible heat.
We are proud of our soldiers and welcome them home with great appreciation .
Members of the 267th and their families will be the grand marshals for Dickson County’s Veterans Day parade set for 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 8.
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