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Fly a flag for the Rocky Mount troops; the military police unit is headed home
Grab the kids, fly a flag and say a prayer. The 1132nd is headed home.
The military police company from Rocky Mount flew into Gulfport, Miss., Saturday and is scheduled to return to Rocky Mount between 4:30 and 5 p.m. Tuesday at Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport.
An official welcome home ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday in Rocky Mount. It will be held at 1 p.m. in Englewood Baptist Church on Winstead Avenue.
The military police unit of the National Guard shipped out of Rocky Mount about a year ago. The troops have spent the past nine months in Iraq and have seen things that no one should ever have to see - death, catastrophic injuries and more.
All the more reason to take a little time Tuesday to offer a prayer, a salute and thanks.
It would be wonderful to have a crowd of folks at the airport to welcome home the troops. Anyone who attended the city’s homecoming celebration for a quartermaster unit out of Nashville two years ago knows how moving the event can be.
At the very least, if your business has a sign outside that can be changed easily, why not offer some encouraging words to the 1132nd? And feel free to post your own wishes here, as well.
The 1132nd has faced tough going since its arrival in Iraq. Five soldiers lost their lives — Sgt. Thomas C. Ray II, 40, of Weaverville; Sgt. David B. Williams, 26, of Tarboro; Sgt. David S. Stelmat, 27, of LIttleton, N.H.; Staff Sgt. Emanuel Pickett, 34, of Wallace; and Sgt. Lance O. Eakes, 25, of Apex.
Other troops in the unit are fighting back from injuries sustained during their stay in South Baghdad.
A press release from the National Guard office in Raleigh soberly noted: “During the deployment, the 1132nd served with great distinction and suffered the heaviest casualties of any NC National Guard Company since World War II.”
Our troops are more than worth a salute from the rest of us.
Comments
By Pamela K. Sumner
June 9, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
~Welcome Home 1132nd MP CO~ God Bless all of you. My thoughts and prayers will always be with you due to the loss of your soilders while in Iraq. Thanks to all of you for what you do for the United States of America.
People should always remember that Freedom Isn’t Free!
By Debbi Crisco
June 9, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
Praise the Lord!! Welcome home Matthew Pipkin, Kelly Murray, Justin Crisp and all of the 1132nd. Thank you all for your service and fight to keep us safe. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!! Glad to have you home.
Proud to be an American,
Debbi Crisco
By Jeff Walton
June 12, 2008 8:56 AM | Link to this
I would like to thank everyone in the Rocky Mount area who came out and supported the 1132nd MP Co. Sometimes words can never do justice so let me just say Thank You and for my fellow soliders who lost their lives for our freedom; gone but will never be forgotten.
By Jeff
June 13, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
Thank YOU, Jeff, for what you and your company have sacrificed to serve your country. It’s great to have you guys back home. Godspeed with your recovery.