Visit to Lubbock

Grandad and Ronnie made a quick trip to Lubbock on Thursday the 24th. They went by the hospital to visit with LaShae while Little Ronnie was still at work. After they left the hopsital they went and visited with Little Ronnie and Pam for a few hours and then headed back to Vernon.

Little Ronnie left Monday morning at 4am to go to Oklahoma for four weeks of training and then off to Georgia for 45 days before being shipped to Iraq. On Saturday there was a big send-off party at the Civic Center in Lubbock and here is an excerpt from the Lubbock Avalanche Journal:

Lubbock cookout honors deploying troops
By Matt Mcgowan | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Story last updated at 7/27/2008 - 3:37 am

When Lubbock sends its men and women off to war, it makes sure they won't be leaving on an empty stomach.

The Lubbock chapter of America Supports You Texas hosted a Return to Duty Cookout on Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Civic Center. It showcased the city's support for more than 150 National Guardsmen from West Texas who will be deployed to Iraq this fall.

The unit, Echo Company of the 2nd Battalion 142nd Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard, is scheduled to leave Monday for a month of training in Oklahoma. It then will go to Georgia to train for 45 days before leaving for Iraq.

The company is scheduled to return in August 2009.

"As citizens, it's our responsibility, and we don't take that duty lightly," said Jack Barnes, president of ASY Texas. "Our country's at war. Our military's at war. There are a lot of people who forget. They've forgotten since 9-1-1. They forget we've got 160,000 troops fighting a war every day. We need to support them. We need to support their families."

The event gave military families an opportunity to spend the day together in a fun, light-hearted way before the company leaves on Monday, the company's 27-year-old commander, 1st Lt. Andrew Badgley, said. Events that show community support bolster troops' morale and remind them of whom and what they're fighting for.

Badgley said about half of the men in his company have been to Iraq before, and the entire company is ready to go.

"The ones who haven't been there are excited to go," he said. "They don't want to be like, Oh, I haven't been there. I've done six years and I haven't been there.' So they're nervous, but, at the same time, they want to go."

About 300 volunteers - including 16 teams of grillers who handed out a wide array of barbecue - participated in the event, Barnes said.

In all, 95 sponsors donated to the event, either through money or services.

Local companies provided everything from inflatable water slides for children to a classic car show for adults. A photography company offered free family portraits for military personnel.

"This is their last day with each other before they have to leave," said Amber Sims, an employee of Niki's Photography who volunteered to help take soldiers' portraits. "This gives them a picture to have with them over there."

As the event came to a close, its organizers handed out care packages that included stationery and Teddy bears with implanted voice recorders, on which soldiers can record a message for their children to listen to while they are away from home.

Sgt. Jerome Larra, 30, who returned from his first deployment in Iraq in 2005, said he and his wife, Debbie, spent Saturday playing with their three children.

"They just kind of go with it," Debbie Larra said about her children when their father deploys. "They are still little. They know he is in the Army and has to go to work for a long time."

Guardsman Pfc. Jake Fluitt, however, said a sad undertone pervaded Saturday's cookout.

"It's sad for a lot of people, I guess," the 20-year-old said. "A lot of people haven't gone, and you have to see them go."

Several city officials attended Saturday's barbecue, including City Councilman Todd Klein and Mayor Tom Martin, who said Lubbock traditionally is a "military town."

Barnes, an Amarillo high school teacher who used to be in the Navy, said Lubbock's patriotism impresses him because the community and its officials never hesitate to "step up" and show support when local troops are called into action.

"If you're in uniform, people are shaking your hand, people are saluting you, people are saying thanks,' " Badgley said. "It is one of the most positive cities I've been in, militarywise."