Pocono News Section

Soldier Send-Off at Kingston Armory

Soldier Send-Off at Kingston Armory - Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 11:20AM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Thursday, Dec 6, 2007 @11:20am EST
KINGSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY - A total of 111 Pennsylvania Patriots from the 109th Field Artillery, based in Kingston, were given a hero's send-off Thursday morning. They are all headed to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to begin the first leg of their deployment overseas.

One by one the soldiers arrived at the Kingston Armory Thursday morning, as the hours ticked down to their deployment.

"I've done it before. I was in Afghanistan before for a year, so I think I'll do pretty good this time," Specialist David Phillips of Kingston said.

With one final formation, both the experienced soldiers and those heading overseas for the first time, all admitted a little bit of anxiousness.

"I was really nervous last night. I only slept an hour and a-half. I couldn't fall asleep," Specialist Richard Hero of Nanticoke said.

"I'm a little nervous. I'm kind of anxious at the same time. I want to see what it's all about," Specialist Aaron Coburn of Harveys Lake said.

Some spent their final moments alone. Others got one last hug from their kids. For the Lukashewski family, three brothers began their second deployment Thursday. They all previously served in Iraq.

"I've got to think about the mission, the mission at hand is first. Family is always going to be in the back of my mind," Sergeant Brian Lukashewski of Plains Township said.

"Everyone down at the unit, we're all like a family," Sergeant Andrew Lukashewski of Nanticoke said.

The soldiers say support from home is vital to their mission overseas, but for Cody Lamoreaux, life will never be the same.

"We were supposed to get married next October and I got deployed so we pushed it up and put everything together in two weeks and we've been married for two weeks now," Private First Class Cody Lamoreaux of Jackson Township said.

If all of their training goes well, the soldiers will all be home for Christmas and New Years. They will then go back to North Carolina for more training before heading to Afghanistan in February.