Emotions high as Schofield soldiers leave for Afghanistan
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
While some snoozed, others chatted, played video games or ate pizza at the passenger terminal today at Hickam Air Force Base while they waited.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Beneath the distractions was an ever-present awareness that these approximately 250 soldiers from Schofield Barracks' 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light), would soon be bound for a Middle East war zone and Operation Enduring Freedom — Afghanistan.
Spc. Isaac Nahakuelua, 23, of Hilo, with Schofield Barracks' 25th Infantry Division (Light), plays a tune on his Fluke, a 'ukulele-style instrument, at Hickam. He is among 250 soldiers leaving for Afghanistan today.
"I would say there are a lot of emotions here today," said Sgt. Jessica King, 23, of Pittsburgh, Penn., who will be leaving her husband, 4-year-old son and 6-month-old baby boy for a year. "There's a lot I'm going to miss."
For the moment, King, who works in supply, doubled checked her lists and focused on her task: making sure infantry soldiers get everything they need once they arrive in Afghanistan.
Not far away, Capt. K.C. Evans, 26, of Hilton Head, S.C., quietly watched "Apocalypse Now" on an overhead screen with a group of other men.
"I would describe it as excitement mixed with trepidation," said Evans, who just got married three weeks ago. Evans, like the other soldiers present — dressed in full gear with their weapons at hand — had already said his family goodbyes before arriving at the terminal.
He had seen the movie before, which he called a "Francis Ford Coppola" classic. The irony of watching such a film before going off to the combat zone was not lost on the captain, who described it as an exercise in how not to conduct a war.
Spc. Isaac Nahakuelua, 23, of Hilo, was champing at the bit.
"I'm excited," he said as he strummed a song on his Fluke, a high-quality plastic 'ukulele, which he will be taking with him. "I can't wait to go, to tell you the truth. I grew up in Hilo, and when I came to O'ahu, everything here looked big to me.
"I'm just excited about the thought of seeing new land and new people."
That attitude fits in perfectly with the mission, according to Maj. Lance Davis, the senior officer traveling with the group. Although the mission will include some combat, the ultimate goal is achieving peace
"We will be establishing a rapport with the local villages and build some stability in the region," Davis said. "We're going over there to support Operation Enduring Freedom. And we're ready."
Some 5,000 soldiers from the 25th will continue to deploy throughout the next two months.
Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com
