Marines in Valentine's farewell
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
For Marine Cpl. David Kennedy of Cleveland, Ohio, Valentine's Day was the start of the third chapter of the most exciting time of his life.
Sgt. Kevin Martin gives a goodbye kiss to his 8-day-old baby, Sadie Blackmore. Martin and 35 other members of Kane'ohe's 3rd Radio Battalion departed for Kuwait.
Already Kennedy, a computer forensics expert, has lived in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces, hacked valuable intelligence out of a laptop belonging to the Iraqi leader's son Odai and, as of yesterday, was eager to begin his third tour of duty in the Middle East.
Kennedy was one of 36 Kane'ohe Marines from the 3rd Radio Battalion who left Marine Corps Base Hawai'i yesterday afternoon for Kuwait and the Central Command.
"I'm only 21 years old and I've done more than I can ever imagine," said Kennedy. "It's fun for me, but it's hard for my family. I'm an only child. ... And my girlfriend back in Ohio, she's pretty worried, too."
Made a promise
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
Erin Neale, in North Olmsted, Ohio, admitted she's facing Kennedy's deployment with some trepidation.
Cpl. Joel Paula kisses his girlfriend, Regina Chandra, at yesterday's predeployment gathering. Three dozen Marines left yesterday; 150 more will follow within weeks.
"We've only been together for a couple of months, so it's hard for me," said Neale, 23, who got a silver necklace from Kennedy for Valentine's Day. "Very hard, actually. I've never had to go through anything like this before. He did promise me that he'd take me to Hawai'i when he gets back."
The three dozen Marines who left yesterday were headed to the Middle East to prepare for the main deployment of 150 Marines later this month or in early March. The members of the 3rd Battalion will be assigned to the First Marine Expeditionary Force and will supply communications support and conduct electronic warfare, said Lt. Col. Mark Aycock, the battalion commander.
Aycock said that after his two decades in the Marines, he finds that deployment never gets any easier for either families or Marines. He offered these words to the loved ones of those who are heading into harm's way:
"My job is to do everything I possibly can to make sure that your Marine or your sailor, or soldier and airman if they are attached to us, have the tools they need and the training they need to come home alive after they have accomplished their mission."
Low-key Valentine's
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
For most at yesterday's predeployment get-together of friends and relatives at the base, it was a low-key Valentine's Day. There were few hearts and flowers at the open-air gathering. Many said it's difficult to say goodbye, holiday or not. For some, Valentine's Day almost made matters worse.
Lt. Joseph O'Connor plays with his daughter, Grace, 1, for the last time before his deployment to Kuwait.
"This is my first Valentine's Day with a girlfriend — and now I'm leaving her," quipped Cpl. Joel Paula, 21, as he shared a few final moments with Navy Petty Officer Regina Chandra, 22.
"We're going to celebrate when I get back."
For Sgt. Kevin Martin, the toughest part was leaving his girlfriend, Sgt. Amy Blackmore, and their week-old daughter, Sadie — all 6 pounds, 14 ounces of her.
"It would be hard to leave, no matter what day it was," said Martin. "Leaving a child like this makes it a lot worse. I'm just happy that she came before I left so I'd get to see her."
It was Martin's first deployment. Staff Sgt. Andrae Bibbs had seen it all before. Bibbs said his goodbyes to friends and loved ones before he even arrived.
"I've only been here for about three weeks — I'm actually stationed in California," said Bibbs, 28, who was deploying to the Middle East for the second time. This time, though, things would be different, he said. Before, during the actual war, you knew who the enemy was. Now, with enemy insurgents, that's not possible.
"There's really no way to train for a thing like that," Bibbs said. "The best training is to be prepared on your basics — like paying attention, staying alert, listening and following orders.
"And, marksmanship. Especially marksmanship."
Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
