Pass And Review

Guard's 155th welcomed home from duty in Iraq
By Sara McAdorysara.mcadory@clarionledger.com

The Clarion-Ledger
A tribute to fallen comrades faces the soldiers of the 155th Brigade Combat Team during a ceremony Saturday in Jackson.
A spotlight illuminated a pair of tan army boots and a helmet perched on the end of a rifle during a homecoming ceremony Saturday for the Mississippi Army National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team.
As the names of 28 members killed in Iraq resounded through the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, a woman's loud, gasping sobs could be heard. A toddler gurgled obliviously a few feet away as the woman's cries subsided into sniffles.
About 3,000 troops and 2,500 family members attended the ceremony, which honored the men of the 155th who died in Iraq and welcomed those who returned.
Also during the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins transferred command of the 155th to Col. William Glasgow, who served as executive officer of the brigade during its year in Iraq.
Collins was reassigned to Fort McPherson in Georgia, where, as director of mobilization, he will be in charge of all mobilized National Guard units, he said.
He told families of the deceased that although he could not ease their pain, he knew from experience the kind of men their loved ones were.
"They will always be a part of this formation, and they will always have a special place in their hearts," he said.
Of the 28 members of the 155th who died, one was a civilian and 14 were from Mississippi.
Mauri Cannon of Batesville lost her brother-in-law, Sgt. Audrey Lunsford, last May.
In the picture displayed on the long tables in front of the stage, Lunsford is smiling and wearing an Army green T-shirt.
As her sister and 21-month-old niece viewed the picture, Cannon tried to finds words for what the ceremony means to her. It brings back "memories of missing him, not having him here to enjoy the moments of every day," she said.
To the soldiers who returned, the best part of the day was the reunion.
James Porter spent a year in Iraq doing police work, patrols, search and seizure, SWAT operations and convoy security.
Since he returned, he has gone to a military school to become qualified in logistic supply and spent time with his two daughters.
He majors in theology at William Carey College in Hattiesburg.
"It's good to see some people that I haven't seen in a while," he said.
After the ceremony, a woman carried the gurgling toddler to the row of tables. She pointed at a picture hung with dog tags.
"Here's your daddy," she told the girl.

Story From WLBT Site

A few thousand soldiers and their families packed the Mississippi Coliseum Saturday. Most came home a few months ago, but Saturday marks their official welcome home ceremony. It was a ceremony for the soldiers who are now home and the ones who didn't make it.
When these soldiers were mobilized in 2004, they were sent to one of Iraq's most dangerous areas, known at the "triangle of death." Saturday, nearly 3,000 members of Mississippi Army National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team filled the coliseum for the welcome home they waited nearly two years for.
"I am grateful to be the governor who gets to tell you how proud the people of Mississippi are of you," said Governor Haley Barbour.
Among their many accomplishments, these soldiers helped secure three national elections in Iraq, capture thousands of insurgents, and train Iraqi security forces. Since August of 2004, 27 Soldiers and one contractor were killed. To honor their memory, room fell silent and the lights went out. The name of each solider killed was read. Cheryl Rahaim's son was one of those names.
"There are moments when it feels like it just happened," she said.
Joseph Andrew Rahaim was raised in Jackson. Two weeks ago, on his 22nd birthday, he was killed in a humvee accident.
"I know how hard it is to say goodbye, to send him over there and certainly that moment that I got that phone call, it changed my life forever, and I pray that nobody else has to go through it," added Rahaim.
Other families paid their respects to lost loved ones. Soldiers remembered their friends.
"These guys will be truly missed, truly be missed. They touch our hearts everyday," expressed Staff Sergeant Felicia Ferrell.
Most of the 155th returned late last year. Now living across the state, this was a chance to see friends again and say goodbye. At Saturday's ceremony, the command of the 155th was transferred to Col. William Glasgow form Brigadier General Augustus Leon Collins

155th casualty list
The Associated Press

Mississippi National Guard soldiers in the 155th Brigade Combat Team who died in Iraq:

1st. Lt. Robert C. Oneto-Sikorski, 33, Bay St. Louis, Oct. 31, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Travis Cooper, 24, Macon, July 16, 2005
Spc. Terrance Lee, 25, of Moss Point, June 11, 2005.
Sgt. Larry R. Arnold Sr., 46, of Carriere, June 11, 2005.
Pfc. Bryan Edward Barron, 26, of Gulfport, May 23, 2005.
Cpl. Audrey Daron Lunsford, 29, of the Sardis area, May 23, 2005.
Sgt. Saburant "Sabe" Parker, 43, of Foxworth, May 23, 2005.
Spc. Danny Varnado, 24, of Gulfport, May 23, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Tommy S. Little, 45, of Aliceville, Ala., died May 2 (Member of Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery in Columbus, Miss.)
Sgt. Robert Shane Pugh, 25, of Meridian, March 2, 2005.
Spc. Joseph A. Rahaim, 22, of Laurel, Feb. 16, 2005.
Sgt. Timothy Osbey, 29, of Magnolia, Feb. 16, 2005
Spc. Robert Allen McNail , 31, Meridian, Feb. 11, 2005.
Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley, 35, Ocean Springs, Feb. 3, 2005.
Members of the 155th from other states who died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Milton Rivera-Vargas, 55, Boqueron, Puerto Rico, Dec. 8, 2005.
Spc. Javier A. Villanueva, 25, Temple, Texas, Nov. 30, 2005.
Spc. Gregory L. Tull, 20, Pocahontas, Iowa, Nov. 25, 2005.
Sgt. Jacob D. Dones, 21, Dimmitt, Texas, Oct. 20, 2005.
Maj. Gregory J. Fester, 41, Grand Rapids, Mich., Aug 30, 2005.
Capt. Lowell T. Miller, II, 35, Flint, Mich., Aug. 30, 2005.
Sgt. Mark Maida, 22, of Madison, Wis., May 26, 2005.
Sgt. John M. Smith, 22, Wilmington, N.C., May 12, 2005.
Capt. Ralph J. Harting III, 28, Union Lake, Mich., April 29, 2005.
Capt. Stephen W. Frank, 29, Lansing, Mich., April 29, 2005.
Cpl. Kevin W. Prince, 22, Plain City, Ohio, April 22, 2005.
Cpl. Tyler J. Dickens, 20, Columbus, Ga., April 12, 2005.
Pfc. Casey M. LaWare, 19, Redding, Calif., April 8, 2005.
Carl Carroll, 47, of Williamstown, Pa., a civilian contractor working with the unit, Aug. 20, 2005.

Source: Mississippi National Guard