RSSNational Guard unit readies for Iraq deployment
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Sgt. 1st Class Charlene Koreski of Yakima has this deployment thing down to a routine.
Koreski, part of the Washington National Guard's 144th Army Liaison Team, is making her third trip overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Koreski was among 25 members of the Yakima-based 144th who attended a farewell ceremony at the Yakima Readiness Center on Friday afternoon. Next, they will head for training at Fort Lewis before being assigned to Camp Victory in Baghdad.
The unit is expected to return from Iraq next November.
"Every deployment is different," the 55-year-old chemical operations specialist said, adding that she feels ready to go after setting up bill payments and taking care of other back-home tasks.
A truck driver in civilian life, she plans to retire with 21 years of National Guard service about a year after the deployment ends.
She knew another deployment was scheduled when she transferred to the 144th, but that's part of the job.
"If they ask me to deploy, that's what I'm going to do," she said.
Only Koreski and Sgt. Jim Nelson are from the Yakima area, with the rest scattered across Washington, National Guard officials said.
About 125 friends, relatives and dignitaries attended the ceremony, including state Rep. Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, and Barb Lisk, a staff member for U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco.
The soldiers of the 144th are part of the Tacoma-based 96th Brigade. They are trained to coordinate between separate allied forces, as the unit did during a 2005 deployment to Afghanistan.
But in Iraq, they are expected to act as bodyguards for high-ranking officers and other VIPs during trips into combat areas and to augment the headquarters staff of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, the in-country command overseeing combat operations, said Col. Michael Hefty, the 144th's commanding officer.
"I think they are squared away, good to go," Hefty said after the ceremony.
He told the crowd of family members that he would do his best "to take care of them and bring them all home."
Only five of the soldiers were on the 144th's Afghanistan tour, but about three-quarters of them have been deployed with other units, Hefty said.
Both of Koreski's deployments were with other units -- the 790th Chemical Battalion in Grandview and the 541st Personal Services Detachment in Tacoma.
For 41-year-old Nelson, this will be his first major combat assignment. He spent four years in the Marine Corps and then was part of that service's inactive reserve before signing up with the National Guard about two years ago.
He's part of the 144th's full-time staff as the supply sergeant.
About 20 friends and relatives -- including his wife and three young sons -- attended the ceremony.
"I've got a great support system," he said.
After years of training, he's ready for the mission.
"It's just second nature now, so it will be fine," Nelson said.
Koreski said it's good to know that the unit has support back in Yakima. Care packages and events like the farewell ceremony help the soldiers stay connected from afar.
"If we didn't have the support from the outside, I think morale would be down a little," she said.
* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.
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