Salisbury Post

The Rev. Buddy Bresett, youth pastor at Parkdale Baptist Church, says his church stands ready to help the families of Bravo Co. No. 126th, which in coming months will be deployed to Iraq.

"We've got hands, we've got feet, and

By Mark Wineka

Salisbury Post

The Rev. Buddy Bresett, youth pastor at Parkdale Baptist Church, says his church stands ready to help the families of Bravo Co. No. 126th, which in coming months will be deployed to Iraq.

"We've got hands, we've got feet, and some of us got brains," Bresett told a gathering of the National Guardsmen and their families Sunday afternoon at the Army Aviation Facility next to the Rowan County Airport.

The church plans to give 10 percent of all money coming to it to the soldiers being deployed. Much of that financial assistance could take the form of telephone cards with 15 to 30 minutes on them so the guardsmen can call home once they're overseas.

The church members also want to help the Guard families with home repairs or baby-sitting.

"We consider you family," Bresett said, describing how sometimes the company's Blackhawk helicopters sound like they're landing on top of the church. "You're going, and we want to back you."

The church will be joined in its effort by the Salisbury Elks Club.

Mike Davis, exalted ruler of the Elks, said his lodge has "a tremendous amount of talent."

Maybe the families will need a plumber. Maybe someone's car won't start. It could be that a deployed guardsman's grass needs to be mowed.

"If you have a problem," Davis told the families Sunday, "it's our problem. We can help you, and we want very much to help you."

Davis' son, Stephen, is a crew chief for Bravo Co. No. 126th.

The Elks have a program called "Army of Hope," led locally by team leader Terry Earp, who can arrange for the talents of 300-plus Elks members to assist the families, if needed. Earp plans to take all the important contact information for the families Oct. 17, when the Elks host a dinner for the guardsmen and their families at the aviation unit.

Elks member Ray Paradowski said it's simply an appreciation meal for what the company has done, is doing and will do in the future. He also emphasized how eager the Elks and Parkdale Baptist Church are to help.

"Between the two of us," he said, "we can fix whatever's wrong."

Sunday's meeting lasted about 90 minutes. Senior members of West Rowan High School's National Honor Society, led by Emily Bartsch, provided baby-sitting services for the guardsmen during the meeting. Bartsch's father is a member of the company.

The National Guard unit, based in Salisbury and encompassing about 60 members, will be mobilized late this month and sent to Fort Bragg where they will become U.S. Army soldiers and begin training for deployment next year to Iraq.

It's the first time the unit has been mobilized for the war and the first time the soldiers will face a long separation from their families.

A send-off is planned tentatively for Oct. 30, and a number of top state officials are expected to attend.

On Sunday, the guardsmen and family members heard what's available to them through the North Carolina National Guard Family Assistance Center in Charlotte, what identification cards are needed to make them eligible for entitlements and what plans to make for military health care.

Keneitha H. Delaney, family assistance center representative for the National Guard, said Army One Source will provide six free counseling sessions for families and help in things such as financial planning and child daycare.

The American Red Cross' Army Emergency Relief Fund also can be called on for financial help, Delaney explained, and she offered some information on the military healthcare system.

Unit members said they have been having problems with their health insurance because their Guard insurance has been dropped recently in anticipation of the group's being placed on active duty. One guardsman called the lapse in coverage a nightmare.

The group also heard sobering news that guardsman Garry Perry, a Salisbury policeman, has learned that his 15-year-old son has been diagnosed with leukemia. Bresett said the boy, Matthew Perry, is one of the youth in his church and asked that prayers be sent the family's way.

Lena Googe said she and the other spouses of Bravo Co. No. 126th will be going through some rough times in the coming year.

Googe, whose husband, Wade, is a crew chief for one of the unit's eight Blackhawks, said she deals with stress by taking action, and "I need to be around people."

While she will have a lot of support from friends, family and church, she said, her husband and his fellow guardsmen are making the ultimate sacrifice. Back home, she wants to do something to make a difference.

That's why Googe is encouraging everyone connected to the Bravo Co. and other people she comes in contact with to make sure they're registered to vote in the Nov. 2 election.

"It's a good opportunity to get involved," Googe told the group Sunday.

Googe reminded those in attendance that the soldiers will be gone by Election Day and that they should take time before they leave to vote, either by absentee ballot or through one-stop, no-excuse voting at their local Board of Elections offices.

Oct. 8 is the deadline to register. Voting begins at the elections offices Oct. 14 and continues through Oct. 30.