Soldiers share their stories

More than 3,400 soldiers of the Indiana National Guard 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are serving the United States in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The team has members from armories throughout the state that went through training before being deployed to supply troops fighting insurgents in Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Les Newport said after training for two months at Fort Stewart, Ga., the team headed to Camp Beuhring in northern Kuwait, just miles from the Iraqi border, for desert training before heading into Iraq.

Of those soldiers, more than 40 are from Jackson County, including Sgt. 1st Class Randy Cole of Brownstown, Sgt. 1st Class Mike Martin of Brownstown and Sgt. 1st Class David Swaney of Seymour.

Swaney is home on a two-week leave, and he presented flags Thursday to Seymour Middle School and Emerson Elementary School. The flags had flown over Camp Anaconda, where the 76th is stationed in Iraq. His wife, Julie, and father, Bob, went to the schools, too.

Students who wrote letters to soldiers in the brigade attended a brief presentation and asked Swaney some questions.

Seventh-grader Miranda Burdine was one of 400 students at SMS who wrote letters to the soldiers, and on Thursday, Swaney read her letter, complete with red and blue stars.

"It's nice to be able to know what it's like to talk to someone not in Indiana," Burdine said.

Swaney said it's good to read letters from the kids, with the simple "thank yous" and general information about how things are at home. To be back home for 15 days, Swaney said, "It's a breath of fresh air."

While he's home, Swaney will get to see his daughter, Allison Swaney, graduate from the Air Force Academy's preparatory school in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Military careers
Cole, Martin and Swaney recently shared their stories in interviews with The Tribune.

Cole is in the Bravo troop of the 152nd Reconnaissance Surveillance Target Acquisition squadron.

"We've been put over here and put on a mission of convoy security," said Cole, who has been with the brigade for three years and worked convoy security his entire 23-year military career.

"The convoy thing is right up my lane," he said. "(The military) put together a team to come over and do (convoy security). I was just lucky to have the experience."

Cole also served in a transportation unit at the beginning of his military career, and in the early 1990s, he served in Desert Storm. Now, he's an active, full-time Guard reserve soldier.

"I've had 23 years of service now and I plan on staying in another 10 to 15 years," he said.

Swaney has been with the military for 24 years, and for eight years, he's been an active, full-time Guard reserve. He is based at Indiana Military Academy at Edinburgh's Camp Atterbury.

"I'm in headquarters for supply, administration and training support element to the brigade," Swaney said.

Martin serves as the brigade's chaplain assistant.

"The chaplain team is responsible for the commander's religious support program," he said. "We, as a brigade, came with six chaplain teams. The chaplain serves a pastoral and personal staff role, and there's some ministry things we can do. It's to make the chaplain as efficient and effective as possible."

Before spending the last eight years doing chaplain work, Martin spent seven years as an active duty supply sergeant.

He was on one of six teams around the United States mobilized after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that traveled around supporting high-value targets in the country.

Back at home, Martin works at a North Vernon industry as a corporate environmental health and safety manager.

Life in Iraq

Cole said the brigade knew about deployment for some time. The state had reorganized and the deployment schedule moved from 2010 to 2008 because of the surge in Iraq. Charlie Company, 38th Main Support Battalion of the Indiana Army National Guard, formerly based at Seymour's Freeman Field, was among those disbanded.

"Our main focus is to get the Iraqi government to stand alone," Cole said, "so they can secure their own nation and provide security against the insurgency so they can operate a democratic government."

During Desert Storm, Cole said the objective was to liberate Kuwait after Saddam Hussein's war crimes in the country. This time, Cole said, the United States will probably stay in Iraq until it can operate on its own.

"I really believe it's a worthy cause," Cole said of the war. "That's a long road, and we're resolved and we're here to stay. We're going to finish the job. I'll do my duty as a soldier."

Swaney agreed the job will take time.

"Iraq is a huge country, so they have a lot of open borders," Swaney said. "It's almost impossible (for the Iraqis) to secure that. We're here to counter all these different factions of terrorist groups wanting to get into the country to upset it. We need to give these people time to build back their infrastructure, army and police departments.

"Even today, we're working hand-in-hand with police and the army and letting them lead the way," Swaney said. "It's not our country. It's theirs."

This will allow the Iraqi people to live in a more free society, he said.

"We have to go back and remember 9-11 and before and what the previous regime and ruler was like," he said. "People forget that was a brutal society and brutal leadership. We need to give the people the chance to overcome their past so they can have a true democracy. Our government is trying the best they can, and I also think too soon of a withdrawal would not be healthy for Iraq."

Martin's basic duty is support, including personal counseling, chapel services and bible studies. He said some soldiers' issues and problems from home don't go away when they leave.

"Their absence magnifies those issues," Martin said. "They don't have the resources they normally have back at home. (A chaplain is) a gatekeeper for a lot of resources, and if we can't answer their question at least we can guide them to the resources to help them out."

One way for a soldier to escape their daily routine is doing humanitarian projects, such as volunteering at a hospital or with Habitat for Humanity.

"It's self-development things," Martin said. "Regardless of the outcome of the military mission, something positive can come out of their time spent here.

"This is more than a job to me," he said. "It's my calling. This is where God wants me to be at. I'm trying to let God lead me."

Until they come home

For the past five years, Cole has ran in the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, and on May 3, he got to do that-in Iraq.

"I was disappointed I was going to miss it over here, but they (brought it) over here," Cole said. "I wasn't really into (running) until I went full-time (in the Guard) a few years ago."

On Jan. 2, family and friends attended a send-off in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis for all of the soldiers. Shortly after that, 10,000 people from Indiana attended the send-off at Fort Stewart.

"Some other people were there from other states and they said, ‘Wow, we've never had that kind of turnout, as far as support,'" Swaney said. "So that was a big deal."

Martin said he's thankful to have people back home watching after his family.

"They have really come through 110 percent," he said. "It makes my job over here much more enjoyable when I know I don't have all the worries back home. When I know my family is being taken care of, I can focus on the mission here."

With a soldier being overseas, Martin said, it's difficult for both sides.

"It is a sacrifice on the families as well," Martin said.

"We're not the only ones who are serving. My wife sent me an e-mail one day, and she said, ‘I'm proud to serve with you.' I never really thought of it that way. I'm proud of her, too."

Soldiers send their ‘thanks'

Randy Cole: Wife, Shelli Cole; children, Ali Cochran and Corey Cole; son-in-law, Dustin Cochran; "Manda"; granddaughter, Lia Cochran.

David Swaney: Wife, Julie Swaney; children, Sarah Swaney (airman first class with Air Force Reserve, Fort Wayne), Jonathan Swaney (specialist with National Guard, Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh) and Allison Swaney (soon-to-be graduate of Air Force Academy's preparatory school, Colorado); Seymour Community Schools.

Mike Martin: Wife, Barbara Martin; children, Steven Martin (student at Ball State University), Meghan Martin (student at Ivy Tech Community College), Sara Ashley Martin (eighth-grader at Brownstown Central Middle School) and Nate Martin (fifth-grader at Brownstown Elementary School); Brownstown Community School Corp., including Nate's fifth-grade class and teacher Mandy Peters; Brownstown Church of the Nazarene.

On the Web
76bct.org