Chattanooga: 1-181st honored for service in Iraq

When national guardsman Joseph Clark left for Iraq in June 2007 as part of the deployment of the 1-181st Field Artillery Battalion, his son, Timothy, was 5 feet tall. When he returned last May, Timothy was 5-feet-11.

The hardship of missing a year of their children’s lives was just one of the sacrifices honored at the “Freedom Salute” ceremony Sunday for the 275 Tennessee National Guard troops from Chattanooga; Dayton, Tenn.; and Athens, Tenn. Held in the Jukebox Junction Theater at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, guardsmen received folded flags, certificates and commemorative lapel pins to recognize their contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Iraq is a better place because of you all,” U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., told the audience Sunday.

The unit oversaw operations at the Camp Bucca detention center near Basra, the largest facility of its kind in the world, according to Brig. Gen. Max Haston, assistant adjutant general. An important part of their role as military police, he said, was vocational training and literacy education for the detainees.

“You make people understand, and you start taking the country in a new direction,” he said.

Sgt Maj. Larry Bull said support from home also helped them win hearts and minds in Iraq: The troops gave the toys they received from local churches to children visiting their parents in the detention center. He said these small gestures helped them change the image of the United States and possibly prevent repeat offenses. Of the 5,000 people the unit released, Sgt. Maj. Bull said, only 14 were re-arrested.

The guard’s performance also demonstrated the quality of its training and its members.

“It legitimized us because it shows what we can do, and do well,” he said.

Sunday’s ceremony marked the official end of the mission for some guardsmen, but the beginning of the next phase that includes the challenges of being home.

“When you become accustomed to a hostile environment, it takes some time to relax,” said Sgt. Bobby Smith, who has belonged to the National Guard for nine years.

For Spc. Jesse Shepherd, who will turn 21 in September, returning from a year away from home also has required some adjustments. In December, his wife gave birth to their first child, Jesse Jr.

“Over there you don’t have to wake up to screaming babies and changing diapers,” he said.