After injury, son prepares for Iraq tour with 'Bridge Trolls'
JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau | Posted: Sunday, April 23, 2006 12:00 am
1st Sgt. Bill Jeffers of Evanston calls the roll for the 169 members of the 1041st Engineers Company at the Armory in Rock Springs. Members of the unit gathered in Rock Springs this weekend for pre-deployment processing.
E2 specialist Dustin Roberts of Big Horn and his parents Dan and Nadine Roberts arrived at the Rock Springs Armory Friday night for Soldier Readiness Processing. Roberts, 22, is a member of the Wyoming Army National Guard's 1041st Engineer Company that has been mobilized for duty in Iraq later this year.
ROCK SPRINGS - When the 133rd Engineer Company was mobilized out of Laramie in the spring of 2004 for duty in Iraq, parents Dan and Nadine Roberts of Big Horn were ready for the deployment of their sons Dean and Dustin.
But Dustin injured his knee during pre-deployment training in Fort Lewis, Wash and wasn't able to head overseas.
So older brother Dean, 43, left without him and served a year in Iraq with the other 154 soldiers with the 133rd Company.
Now fully recovered, Dustin is getting a second shot at that tour this time as a member of the recently mobilized 1041st Engineer Company based in Rock Springs.
"Dusty was devastated because he felt he let everybody down .. but I think his brother was a bit relieved because he didn't have to worry about his little brother the whole time he was over there," Dustin's mom Nadine said.
"We're very proud of both boys, but we're awful concerned of course," she said in an interview at the Armory.
"(Dean's tour) was the longest 15 months I've ever spent in my life," she said. "Like Dean, Dusty volunteered and this is just something that he feels he needs to do."
Thankfully, all 154 soldiers of the 133rd Engineers returned home safely. "When they all left and then all came back, I was never so delighted in my life," Nadine said.
The unit's 169 soldiers gathered at the Rock Springs Armory this weekend for Soldier Readiness Processing.
Under the new call to active duty, the Guard members are initially scheduled for 545 days of service, or about 18 months, but that could change based on the U.S. Army's needs.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal arrived around noon Saturday to visit privately with unit members and their families. Most of the unit's members are based in Rock Springs, Evanston and Afton, but like Dustin Roberts, many Guard members from across the state volunteered to serve overseas with the company.
"We're gung-ho and ready to go … we've got a lot of volunteers and that good response to the call for volunteers is an indication of how good our morale is," Company 1st Sgt. Bill Jeffers said in an interview.
"Morale is great (in part) due to the fact that we had plenty of notification, which gave people ample time to notify their employees and get things in order," said Jeffers, who works as a sergeant with the Evanston Police Department.
Bridge Trolls
The "Bridge Trolls" - as the assault float bridge group is known - was the state's first combat unit to be mobilized for deployment to the Gulf after the Sept. 11, 2001 attack. The unit adopted the nickname to epitomize the rough, tough creatures who guard bridges and never quit.
The unit was mobilized in Jan. 2002. Company members were deployed to Fort Polk, La. with the intent to further deploy to Iraq to perform bridge operations. The swift pace of the conflict in Iraq, however, resulted in the unit's demobilization before going overseas.
This weekend's processing operation ensures the soldiers have all their paperwork, medical and dental checkups and other issues "checked and ready," said Master Sgt. Trudy Woodcock.
Woodcock said the readiness processing comes before the unit's expected deployment, which will begin with pre-deployment training at Camp Shelby, Miss. in July.
The 1041st normally operates as a mobile bridge building-and-demolition unit, but Woodcock said the unit's soldiers will perform security operations during their tour as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"This deployment feels like a little different deal and a different situation … there'll be a lot more danger involved here," Nadine Roberts said.
The 1041st is the second Wyoming Army National Guard unit headed to Iraq this year. The 154 members of Gillette's 2-300 Field Artillery have been training in Fort Lewis, Wash since the end of December.
The Bridge Trolls is one of the newest units in the Wyoming Army National Guard. Its mission is to build river crossings, to clear river crossing areas, to build launch ramps and to demolish bridge sites after use.
Southwest Wyoming Bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@trib.com.