Families part ways with 1,800 Iowa soldiers at deployment send-off ceremonies

Yahoo

2 days ago

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa –Thousands are gathering this week at community send-offs for Iowa National Guard soldiers.
1,800 soldiers from Iowa will be deploying to the Middle East to partake in Operation Inherent Resolve, a mission to defeat ISIS. This is Iowa's largest deployment since 2010.
The ceremony at West Des Moines Readiness Center Thursday afternoon had 214 troops who were honored before heading out on this 12-month assignment. This send-off is just one of 24 happening this week across the state.
The crowds were full of friends and family, including many Blue Star Mothers of America Iowa. The group is made up of moms, grandmas, parent figures, etc.
This support group has been crucial for many loved ones, because the sendoff, and thereafter, is never easy.
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'I think the hardest one for me was when you could hear the children in the crowd going, oh, there's my dad. Not fully understanding that at the end of the ceremony you're getting in the car and dad isn't,' Blue Star Mothers Iowa spokesperson April Conway said. 'And all of these ceremonies all across the state, we are trying to make sure that Blue Star Moms will be there to offer a hug. We've ordered 400 packages of Kleenex to bring with us because we know what it's like, but we also know what it's going to be like when you go home. I want every spouse and child and mother and friend and sister to know that when you get home, it's okay to cry. Fear is a natural thing that comes with deployment. Just keep in mind the joy that you're going to feel when that coming home ceremony gets here. And we'll be there for that one, too.'
This year, Blue Star Mothers Iowa will be sending 2,500 care packages to every single Iowan that is deployed later this year for the holidays. If you'd like to donate or want more information, you can visit their website.
They also want you to know, if you need support, you can message them on Facebook and a mother will answer within an hour.
'It takes a village. And even though these deploying soldiers are not our own flesh and blood, they're our Iowa family,' Conway said. 'While they're gone, we want to be able to stand in the gap for their families that are left behind. Because, you know, in a week, life does go on. And the community, they will move on with their own lives. But for these family members left behind, the next 12 months are going to feel a lot longer than 12 months, and we're going to be there for them to help carry them through it.'
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