A long and winding road - reservists perform postal services for military in Kosovo, Yugoslavia - Brief Article

ORLANDO, Fla.--Father's Day...Fourth of July...Thanksgiving...Christmas...Some Orlando reservists spent these and other holidays along with a few birthdays, deployed to Kosovo for seven months.

Eighteen soldiers from the 741st AG Company (Postal), located here, were mobilized to go to Macedonia on June 18, 2000, Father's Day. They returned Feb. 2, 2001.

There were a lot of miles, activities, and memories in between.

The Beginning

Once the 741st was notified that one of their platoons was slated for mobilization, selected members of the platoon completed five months of postal certification and individual training.

Training complete, family and friends joined them at the Orange County U.S. Army Reserve Center for a farewell ceremony the morning of June 17, 2000. For some of the reservists, the deployment meant delaying major events in their lives.

Spec. Kris Virga's engagement to Alicia Gable would have to be put on hold for nine months.

"I'm very upset he's leaving, but I know he'll be okay," said Gable.

"Hopefully, after six months, we can meet in Italy on leave," Virga added. He is a full-time student and was hoping to continue his studies with classes over the Internet.

Platoon leader 1st Lt. Michael Martinez, from Tampa, Fla., said that his platoon was definitely ready to go.

"Postal ops personnel from Germany gave us classes on what to expect," he said.

Most of the soldier's employers were cooperative about the time away from the job. Spec. Candy Sheirer works at Walt Disney World as a security officer. "We have a lot of ex-military guys so they were understanding," said Sheirer.

Spec. Sara Peters from Orlando was looking forward to going to Kosovo. "I'm pretty excited," she said. Peters said her employer, Universal Studios, was hesitant at first, but a letter from the commander convinced them of the importance of their support.

In Country

Once their training at Fort Benning was complete, the troops traveled to Germany and then on to Macedonia and Kosovo where they conducted postal operations for the American soldiers deployed there supporting Operation Joint Guardian.

The platoon was divided among three different camps: Camp Bondsteel and Camp Monteith in Kosovo, and Camp Able Sentry in Macedonia. The majority of the platoon was located at Camp Able Sentry.

Each postal platoon is trained to handle mail for up to 36,000 soldiers per day. The platoon handled three million pounds of mail during their deployment, according to Martinez.

"The mission went really well," said Martinez. "There were a few minor conflicts, but having a good working relationship before leaving helped a lot."

Master Sgt. Donald Betts, of Orlando, was one of two soldiers promoted while in Kosovo. He was the acting first sergeant for the postal platoon at Camp Able Sentry and said this was his second deployment. He also spent nine months in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.

"Morale was up and down during the deployment," said Betts. "Especially around Christmas. We were originally scheduled to be home before Christmas, but we were delayed until February."

The soldiers weren't sure what they might find once they arrived in Kosovo.

"I was expecting Stonehenge," said Virga. "Some things were hell and some things were fantastic, he said.

"I didn't really expect it to be so nice," said Martinez.

Sgt. First Class Tracey Marshall, of Tampa, was at Camp Bondsteel. "Living conditions were a lot better on base than what the locals had," said Marshall. "We even had my favorite, crab legs and lobster once a month."

The soldiers did have some rest and relaxation (R&R) time, and spent it in various ways.

Spec. Marsha Debose, of Sanford, enjoyed one of her favorite past-times from home while in Kosovo. "We went shopping in Macedonia," she said.

Marshall and soldiers from other units formed the "Mighty Voices of Praise," and sang at church services on Sundays.

Virga wasn't able to continue his college classes as he was hoping, but he and Martinez were able to take advantage of military courses offered in Kosovo. Both plan on continuing their educational pursuits now that they are home.

Coming Home

The soldiers were welcomed home Feb. 2 by a group of family and friends waiting at the reserve center. The group had grown more anxious as delays at Fort Benning pushed back the arrival time from 1600 to 2100.

The bus arrived, and cheers and applause erupted as one by one, the soldiers stepped off. They were greeted by Lt. Col. Samuel Kramer, deputy commander of the 310th Personnel Group, the higher headquarters of the 741st, and Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Watkins of the 3rd Personnel Command.

Tears of joy and open arms from family and friends amid local media lights were next. Hugs from loved ones that hadn't seen each other in seven months. All were glad to be home.

Overall, the soldiers of 1st Platoon, 741st Adjutant General (Postal) Company came away from the deployment with a different attitude.

"I have a lot more respect for the Army Reserve," said Debose. "We worked hard."

(Sgt. 1st Class Johnson is with the 204th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Orlando, Fla.)

COPYRIGHT 2001 U.S. Army Reserve
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group