Troops appreciate parade honor
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And what better way to get this across than in a parade. Though most parades feature some sort of military component, whether it’s with local ROTC cadets or VFW or American Legion members marching in uniform, it’s not often soldiers are featured as one of the main components of the event.
That’s one of the big reasons the returning soldiers of the 278th were chosen as Grand Marshals for the McMinnville Christmas Parade this year, along with veterans of W.W.II as honorary Grand Marshals.
Maj. Jim Reed, Troop Commander for I-Troop, or “Iron Troop” as they refer to themselves, took time out the day of the parade to talk a bit about the deployment and how the soldiers felt about the community’s reaction.
“In March, 2004, the unit was notified of the activation,” Reed said, “and almost immediately we started getting the support from the community. In April and May, as we were preparing ourselves for the move to Camp Shelby, we had a situation where just about every business, and every person who had ever served with this troop of the National Guard, came by or they actually threw some sort of a going away party for us. And we’re very grateful for that.”
The troop went through six months of very rigorous training at Camp Shelby, and a month at Fort Irwin in California, before being deployed to Iraq.
“We went into Kuwait in December,” Reed said, “though some of us got there in November.” Once there, they went through still more training.
“We went through a lot of explosive device training,” Reed said, “because that’s what were killing soldiers along the sides of the road. And then we made our trip into Iraq.”
Reed estimates around 30 percent of the soldiers from the 278th in Iraq were from the Middle Tennessee area. And I-Troop is very much a family, in more ways than one, according to Reed.
“We’ve got a lot of brothers that are in this unit,” Reed said. “We’ve got father-son combinations that are in the unit. And a lot of good friends. Everybody in this unit came together, and while we were in Camp Shelby, Mississippi the bond was so tight that it reminded us of the soldiers in the HBO movie “Band of Brothers.”
Reed said the McMinnville troop includes not only members from Warren County, but from all around the region, including Missouri, and from all over the state of Tennessee, including cities like Memphis and Smyrna, who drive to the armory here.
1SGT Andrew Powers, Senior NCO of the Troop, said the troop had a successful tour considering the circumstances.
“Our guys showed a lot of respect to the people over there,” Powers said. “Made a lot of friends over there. They just did a lot of good work and had a very successful rotation.”
The honor of being made Grand Marshals was not lost on the men and women of the 278th. They were particularly touched by this, and wanted to let the people Warren County know how much they appreciated not only that tribute, but also the many letters, gifts and boxes of useful items they received throughout their tour in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with the emotional send-off they got last year and the heartfelt heroes’ welcome they received when they returned home last month.
“We can’t tell you how much we appreciate everything that was done for us and our families.” Reed said.
2005 McMinnville Christmas Parade Winners
People’s Choice Award
Pioneer Pediatrics
Businesses
Ben Lomand Telephone, First
Homeland Bank, Second
First National Bank, Third
Church/Civic/Comm. Org.
McMinnville Jaycees, First
Senior Center/Red Hat Society, Second
Pack 308 Cub Scouts, Third
School Sponsored Groups
WCHS Class of 2006, First
WCHS Cheerleaders, Second
Covenant Academy, Third
Horse and Rider
Tootsie’s Trail Riders, First
Broom Riders, Second
Antique Car or Truck
Ron Wilson, First
James Green, Second
Motorcycle Club
Christian Motorcycle Association, First
Christian Motorcycle Association, Second