Guard unit returns to Las Vegas from Afghanistan

To the cheers and tears of flag-waving families and friends, about 50 soldiers from a Las Vegas Valley National Guard unit returned home safely Saturday after a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.

For 4-year-old Genevah Thomas, it was the long-awaited hug from her father, Spc. Anthony Thomas, that made her crack a grin from cheek to cheek with her brown eyes sparkling beneath a princess crown.

"I really missed my daughter," said the 6-foot-2 Thomas, a military policeman who joined the unit after moving to Las Vegas from Wisconsin in 2002.

For Pablo Calderon, father of Staff Sgt. Isabel Calderon, the warm embrace after his daughter stepped off the bus brought tears of joy.

"My little girl's back. She's safe. I just want to cry and let her know I love her," Pablo Calderon said.

'THROWING THOSE PETALS'

For Command Sgt. Maj. Daryl Keithley, Saturday marked another of many homecomings for Nevada citizen-soldiers, since U.S. armed forces began fighting the global war on terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

He said this one for the Henderson-based 137th Military Police Detachment was steeped in lore akin to Roman warriors returning centuries ago.

"You're riding in on the big chariot, you've got the big red cape, you've got your soldiers marching through the streets of Rome to a big welcome like this," he told the families while the troops clad in tan boots and camouflage uniforms stood at parade rest in the Las Vegas Readiness Center. "They've been throwing rose petals from the beginning of time and this is definitely no less."

Thomas, the lanky 27-year-old specialist, said one of his duties was to train Afghan security forces in the country's northern region.

"They picked it up very well," he said. "We set the standard over there."

His grandmother, Linda Hunter, worried during the deployment because Thomas couldn't discuss his missions.

"I'm delighted," she said, after buses from McCarran International Airport brought them to the armory.

"I am happy," Hunter said. "I have been praying for a solid year and my prayers have been answered."

She said her grandson, who is pursuing an art career, had his sights set on joining the military since he was 16 in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"He said he wanted to help out," said Hunter, who filled in for Thomas' wife, Suzette Gomez Thomas, who was working at a local department store.

'A LOT OF CAMARADERIE OUT THERE'

The detachment's overseas commander, Capt. Laura Boldry, said the soldiers were split into four camps where they performed military police duties ranging from personnel security to VIP escorts, to training, traffic control and enforcing law and order.

They worked with NATO counterparts from Germany and Croatia in the International Security Assistance Force that was beefed up following last year's surge of U.S. troops for Operation Enduring Freedom, now in its 10th year.

"There was a lot of camaraderie out there working with other nations and countries," Boldry said. "Our soldiers overcame great barriers. Thank God we had no injuries," she said.

In all, her soldiers tallied nine Bronze Star medals for meritorious service, nine combat action badges and 38 Army Commendation medals.

"They went on a few missions that were risky," she said, noting that most of the attacks they endured came from mortars that prompted the soldiers to fire back.

Boldry said Afghan military police are establishing a foothold in Taliban territories.

"You can see the progress that the Afghans have made. It's awesome progress," she said.

A big challenge is for Afghan recruits to overcome fear of training. Once they're in the field, though, "They want it. They love it," said Boldry, of Carson City.

Based on her observation, the promised troop withdrawal this summer might be delayed.

"I see us staying there probably a little longer," she said. "It's going to take a lot to get out of there and have exactly what we're looking for."

'LONG YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY' REACHES END

During the homecoming ceremony, Nevada Army National Guard commander Brig. Gen. Frank Gonzales thanked Boldry and Provost Marshal Lt. Col. John Kruthaupt for "an outstanding job."

"They brought all of our soldiers home. They brought them home safely," Gonzales said.

He reminded the MPs that being in the Guard is not about the money.

"You do it because it's a belief. It's a calling. It's what we want to do. We want to make a difference."

Kruthaupt said, "The motivation of these soldiers never waned. ... This long year of uncertainty has come to an end."

The Nevada National Guard still has roughly 600 soldiers in Afghanistan. Most of them -- 400 -- are assigned to the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, which deployed in January.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.