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By Bob Weaver
It was reminiscent of soldiers departing in earlier wars, trucks, jeeps and equipment
with soldiers hanging out windows and waving good-bye to well wishers.
About 85 members of the 1092nd Engineers left their Spencer armory yesterday
morning, after being activated for a pending war with Iraq.
 Some of the guardsmen are from Calhoun,
including Phillip Perkins, son of Larry and Connie Perkins of Millstone. Perkins, a
2000 graduate of CHS, is a member of the Mount Zion United Methodist Church,
whose members prayed for his safe return Sunday.
Spencer residents and families turned out in the falling snow for an impromptu
good-bye yesterday, lining the Charleston by-pass.
"It was crying time," said Tracey Keaton, who join the crowd. "There was distress on
many faces," she said, fearful of what is to come.
The unit is headed for Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where they'll undergo
several weeks of training and administrative processing, with many of
them to be assigned to the Gulf area, which is building to 150,000 troops. (See
earlier stories in The
Herald)
More than 500 members of the 1092nd have been activated. The Parkersburg
battalion also has companies and detachments in Gassaway, Moundsville,
Richwood, Salem, and Weston.
Meanwhile, more West Virginia-based National Guard troops have been activated.
Governor Wise announced yesterday that 124 members of the Army National Guard's 157th Military Police Company have started mobilizing at the unit's home bases in Martinsburg and Moundsville.
The troops will serve in either Operation Noble Eagle, the military campaign aimed at providing security within the nation's borders, or Operation Enduring Freedom, the foreign campaign.
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