Support group
Elks host dinner for soldiers, families of Bravo Company before Iraq deployment

'Cue couple: Jim and Pat Murtaugh enjoy a dinner sponsored by the Salisbury Elks at the Armory Sunday afternoon. Photo by Jon C. Lakey , Salisbury Post.

By Mark Wineka

Salisbury Post

Mike Melnyk had what he described as a crazy feeling Sunday watching his old buddies from Bravo Company.

In a couple of weeks, the guardsmen around him will be gone to Fort Bragg, activated as Army soldiers getting ready for a year's deployment to one of the most dangerous spots in the world, Iraq.

"They'll go, and a piece of me will go with them," said the 57-year-old Melnyk.

In March, Staff Sgt. Melnyk retired from Bravo Company after serving 26 years in the N.C. National Guard. A Vietnam veteran, he was known in the company as "a gadget man," and because of that, the company gave him a $75 gift card to Lowe's Sunday.

Melnyk knew in his heart that he had retired when it was time, but he couldn't help feeling a bit torn Sunday, knowing what his friends were facing.

"I feel like I ought to be going," he said.

The Salisbury Elks Lodge held a special barbecue chicken dinner for the guardsmen of Bravo Company and their families Sunday afternoon. The unit of about 60 guardsmen operates eight Blackhawk helicopters that they'll be taking with them to Iraq.

The company has been responsible for most of the Guard air missions in North Carolina, responding to state emergencies such as floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. They will be missed by more than their families.

Sunday's dinner offered a way for the Elks Lodge to show its appreciation to the Guard members, who will be leaving the last weekend of this month. The Elks also wanted to remind them and their families that they stand ready to help those left behind in any way they can.

It might be a plumbing problem, a flat tire, a car that won't start, babysitting needs or something else, Exalted Ruler Mike Davis said.

"If it is your problem," he told the families, "it's our problem, and we'll fix it."

Maj. Brian Pierce, head of Bravo Company, said the Elks' offer to help is a relief in a way for his soldiers. When the men and women are deployed, part of their concerns are with the people they leave behind. To know that the Elks are here helping allows the soldiers to focus better on their mission, Pierce said.

Got his hands full: Sgt. Andrew Barbee carries his plate of chicken and his 15-month-old daughter Ashtyn Barbee during the dinner Sunday afternoon. Photo by Jon C. Lakey , Salisbury Post.

Sunday's dinner was held in a hangar at the National Guard facility off Airport Road. The hangar is big enough to hold two Blackhawk helicopters at a time and is the place where the maintenance is handled.

Pierce explained how the company usually waits to honor its retirees, such as Melnyk, on Family Day, but the pending deployment made them move his recognition up. Pierce also used Sunday's gathering to recognize Sgt. James R. Suggs, who received the Army Commendation Medal.

Bravo Company has a wide mix of soldiers, ages 18 to 58, Pierce said. Their time with the Guard ranges from under a year to almost 30 years. But overall, Pierce considers them "a very experienced company."

Some of the men and women were soldiers who had served before in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq before joining the Guard.

Jim Murtaugh reflects the company's broad experience. Like Melnyk, he could have retired from the Guard earlier this year but decided to stick it out a few more months. Soon, he was not allowed to retire, and then he was staring at deployment.

A Vietnam veteran, Murtaugh knew deployment to the Middle East was a possibility for a number of years and, as any guardsman would tell you Sunday, it was always a matter of when, not if — that's the approach they had to have.

Murtaugh and his wife, Pat, are trying to look at their situation as positively as they can. They have no children at home. They don't own a small business that would be devastated by his departure. They've seen their kids growing up — the graduations and many of the other rites of passage that all are supposed to lie ahead for the younger members of the company.

Still, it was a shock for the couple to accept how their life was going to change, Pat Murtaugh acknowledges.

Their children, one a Marine in helicopter training, also have been surprised by the news, and it has been stressful for Jim's 91-year-old mother, who lived through his stint in Vietnam a generation ago.

The couple's friends have found their situation hard to believe.

Jim Murtaugh, a crew chief for Bravo Company, had just retired in June from a long career at the Hefner VA Medical Center and graduated with an associate degree in information systems from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Someone joked that he's a "fatherly figure" for the company.

Rebecca DeForest, a 24-year-old Blackhawk pilot, reflects the younger set. She and her husband, now stationed at Fort Bragg, met in the National Guard. They went to flight school together, and they will likely be stationed in Iraq at the same time, though in different parts of the country.

"We really enjoy it and really appreciate it," DeForest said of the Elks. "Having the community support is important to us."

Davis, the Elks' exalted ruler, promised the soldiers another meal when they return from Iraq. The company could arrive there as early as January.

Sunday's menu included chicken, grilled up by the Elks themselves, beans, potato salad, slaw and a specially made cake, complete with a Blackhawk helicopter on top.

Elks member Ray Paradowski said it took him about two hours to glue the model together, and it went to one of the children in a drawing later.

The Elks received many donations and discounts from local businesses and individuals, making Sunday's dinner possible.

The contributors included Apple Baking, Richard's Barbecue, Catering 2000, Cheerwine, Julie Copley, Bob Sca, Lois Paradowski, the Fudge Shop, Fire Mountain restaurant, Granite Knitwear, Food Lion, the Bunny Bread Store, Angelo's Seafood, Elbert Culp and Mike Davis.

Davis' son, Stephen, is part of Bravo company.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com.

©2004, The Salisbury Post