Guard deployment ceremony Friday on Legislative Mall

Delaware State News

DOVER — Although it has been coming for months, the impending deployment of Delaware National Guard’s 261st Signal Brigade will become a little more real today when the 115-soldier unit is formally mobilized.

"It’s obviously difficult, and reality starts to set in when you get down to crunch time and make the final arrangements," said Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers, who will command the Army Guard unit in Iraq.

"Our footlockers are already shipped and (today), we’ll be bringing out duffel bags with everything we need for a year."

The brigade will convene on Legislative Mall Friday for a deployment ceremony that is expected to draw more than 1,000, due in large part to one of its members, Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, a Guard captain, and an appearance by his father, vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del.

The group, the first Delaware Army Guard unit to be mobilized in more than a year, will be responsible for providing all types of communication in the Iraqi theater — including voice, data and computer — said Maj. Gen. Francis D. Vavala, adjutant general for the Delaware National Guard.

"It is a tall order for them, but I have every confidence they will be successful in what they do," Gen. Vavala said.

But for everyone in the unit, the yearlong deployment will be a difficult mission, both in assignment and in being taken away from home.

Gen. Chambers, a Dover attorney living in Middletown, said the most difficult thing for him is leaving his family behind, especially his 7-year-old daughter. But he hopes that everyone is able to be in touch with their loved ones during the deployment.

"My father was in the Marine Corps at Iwo Jima," he said. "He was away for several years and he didn’t have e-mail to keep in touch with his family."

A 1984 University of Delaware alumnus, Gen. Chambers said he also will miss Blue Hen football, although he expects to be home in time for the start of the 2009 season.

The guardsmen remaining stateside have a vital role to play in supporting the soldiers’ families while they are away, Gen. Vavala said.

"What you’re doing is allowing the soldiers being deployed to focus on their mission without worrying about who is taking care of their families, because we are," he said. "It’s at the top of our must-do list."

That support from the Guard, co-workers and others makes the upcoming difficult assignment easier to approach, Gen. Chambers said, noting that attorneys are picking up his caseload in his absence.

"I went to the orthopedist the other day and he hugged me," Gen. Chambers said.

"(All of this) allows the soldiers to focus on what’s important — we’ve got an important mission over there. The preseason is over. The regular season starts (today)."

The soldiers have spent months training in several areas, including combat lifesaving, heat training, Humvee rollover training, legal briefings and use-of-force training.

After Friday’s deployment ceremony, they soldiers will fly to Fort Bliss, Texas, for training specific to their assignment in Iraq before shipping out.

Gen. Vavala said he has great pride in the 261st Signal Brigade and is confident it will carry on the great legacy and heritage of the Delaware Guard, which traces its roots to the Colonial Army.

"It’s almost like I’m the father of the organization and these are my children," Gen. Vavala said. "My family is being deployed.

"It’s going to be a very heart-wrenching and emotional ceremony. It is bittersweet, but there is a tremendous sense of pride."

Biden involvement will close roads, restrict parking

Attorney general to deploy with National Guard unit

Delaware State News

DOVER — Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. has helped send off several National Guard units deploying from the First State, but next week’s send-off is certainly special.

The senator’s elder son, Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, is one of the soldiers scheduled to deploy with the Delaware National Guard’s 261st Signal Brigade in October, with the yearlong mission taking the Guard captain to Iraq.

Despite his high profile as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Sen. Biden is expected to attend the Oct. 3 deployment ceremony on Legislative Mall, Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Leonard Gratteri said Thursday.

"From what we’ve been told, he’s planning to attend," Lt. Col. Gratteri said. "He’s supposed to address the troops. He’s done that every time we’ve deployed a unit when he’s in the state."

The 261st Signal Brigade, which is headquartered in Smyrna, received an alert order in February and got its mobilization orders about two months ago.

The brigade will report to Fort Bliss in Texas on Oct. 5 for additional training "specific to the Iraqi theater" that could last from four to 10 weeks, Lt. Col. Gratteri said.

Mr. Biden, a Guard captain, is a judge advocate general — a military lawyer. He would serve as a prosecutor for the U.S. Army and help enforce the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

With a vice-presidential candidate expected to attend the event, Dover police spokesman Lt. James E. Hosfelt said officers from several agencies will be meeting Monday to discuss security at Legislative Mall.

The ceremony, which is open to the public and is expected to draw about 750 people, will create a travel and parking issue for state workers, with parking prohibited and the four streets surrounding Legislative Mall closed for most of the workday.

In a memorandum Monday to state employees, Capitol Police said state employees who normally use parking spaces around the mall should make alternative plans.

Capitol Police contacted DART about providing shuttle service, but have been informed that all buses are used for routine daily service and unavailable to shuttle state workers, the memo stated.