Hawai'i Guard unit alert for call
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Master Sgt. Milton Yee doesn't have the inside track on whether 2,100 Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers will be sent to the Middle East, but he can do the math.
Yee is part of the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade, one of 15 "enhanced" brigades that are the nation's primary ground combat force in the reserves.
Two have been tapped for duty in Iraq, a third is on standby, and with a shortage of active-duty troops and the United States not getting the international help it needs, more Guard units may be on the way.
In July, the 29th came close to getting the call. It could be a temporary reprieve.
"We feel we're on the edge," Yee said. "When you pull up the 15 'e' brigades and who's been deployed and who's coming back, it's a matter of time."
Although the status could change quickly, Hawai'i Guard spokesman Maj. Chuck Anthony said "absolutely nothing has come our way on that."
For brigade soldiers — 90 percent of whom are part-timers — the past few months of being on the edge have been a reality check, but have not put a dent in unit numbers.
"There's a small percentage that are very worried about what if this (deployment) happens," Yee said. "But the vast majority want to go."
He is repeatedly asked, "Are we going?" — a question he cannot answer.
"You can see the worry in their eyes, the fear. Of course, anybody would feel that. But it seems like they all want to do their job," he said.
Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, recently said there are about 170,000 reservists and National Guard soldiers on active duty. About 20,000 are in Iraq and Kuwait.
Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, acknowledged in late August that the days of the "weekend warrior" are over.
The Pentagon is worried that lengthy deployments and yearlong assignments in Iraq might lead to an exodus from the Guard and reserve ranks, but Stephen Lum, a Hawai'i Guard spokesman, said the retention level here has remained strong.
There are 2,100 Hawai'i-based Army Guard soldiers in the 29th, as well as reservists from the 100th Battalion, plus American Samoa, Guam and Mainland units, including an infantry battalion from
California, a cavalry troop from Oregon and an air defense artillery battery from Minnesota.
The Hawai'i component is at 91 percent of its authorized 3,300 strength, officials said.
"We're hovering around the 3,000 level, which is the Guard Bureau's goal," Lum said. "The recruitments have kept up with the losses, so it's been steady."
The last time the 29th was activated as an entire unit was in 1968, during the Vietnam War, when the brigade trained at Schofield Barracks and 1,100 soldiers were sent to Southeast Asia.
Yee, 44, said the atmosphere in the Guard has changed a lot since the late 1970s, when he joined the brigade. Now there's a lot more patriotism.
"It's 'hey, I've been trained to do this — I'm going to do my share in the war on terrorism,' " said Yee, who works full-time for the Guard.
Brigade commander Col. Joe Chaves said the 29th has been doing "very well" on its readiness rating. Enhanced brigades get more training and are evaluated to the same standards as active-duty forces.
"But in the pecking order, the scheme of things, I haven't got an idea of where the 29th Brigade stands, to be honest," Chaves said.
At a Sept. 24 Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, questioned Pentagon officials about the number of enhanced brigades that would be needed in Iraq.
"I get the impression that if we're not successful in encouraging three multinational divisions to join us, we would replace that group with four reserve enhanced brigades," Inouye said then. "Is that correct?"
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said both active-duty and reserve options were being considered.
With a Schofield Barracks brigade combat team deploying to Afghanistan in February, followed by a second brigade six months later, concern about a shortage of Hawai'i combat units for a North Korean contingency led in part to the 29th being passed over in July.
Some 29th soldiers feel the call-up will come — but not until the Schofield brigades return.
Chaves said he reminds his soldiers that with world events going as they are, mobilization is always a possibility.
"We continuously tell them, make sure that you're doing everything that's necessary on the family side and necessary on the business side, just in case the call comes," he said.
About 30 percent of the brigade's soldiers are government employees. Sgt. 1st Class Philip Umali said about five Honolulu police officers are in his company. Another 14 or so are college students.
"I sense a lot of soldiers were disappointed (the 29th wasn't picked in July)," said Umali, 32. "(But) there's, like, two sides."
Some college students worry about missing classes. Other soldiers don't want to be separated from their families. "They read in Army Times how much the death count still adds up (in Iraq) each week," Umali said.
Umali has a 10-year-old son. His wife is an active-duty soldier at Schofield Barracks, and could go to Afghanistan in August. They had to prepare a "family care plan" in the event both are deployed. But Umali has family to watch his son.
"I'm a local boy over here, so my mom, dad (are here, and) I've got grandparents."
Umali isn't sure when the 29th will be mobilized, but he thinks it will happen.
"I read Army Times, and there's this portion — "Around the World" — and they list all these other National Guard units (that are deployed). We're just waiting for our turn."
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
