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Two months short of retirement, duty calls Local man part of deploying Guard
Two months short of retirement, duty calls Local man part of deploying Guard

By Rob Wheary, Staff Writer 01/25/2005
rob_w(at)newsitem(dot)com
LEWISBURG — After 19 years and 10 months of service, Sgt. David Allen Permar Jr. is two months away from retirement from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
However, that special date will have to wait.
Duty calls for the Mount Carmel man.
Permar and nearly 100 other soldiers from the 3rd Pennsylvania Battalion left the Lewisburg Armory Monday morning for an 18-month deployment that will put them in the thick of the battle in Iraq.
“I was scheduled to retire from the service on March 28, but that’s not happening now, because we serve in times of peace and war,” he said, his commitment obvious despite the emotion of the day.
After an overnight stay in Scranton Monday night, the unit was scheduled to fly to Camp Shelby, Miss., for initial training, and then to California for further training before finally heading to Iraq.
“We have known about the deployment for a while,” said commanding officer Maj. Jeff Smith of New Cumberland. “We are ready for the job and, once our rotation arrives in Iraq, 43 percent of the military force in Iraq will be provided by soldiers in the National Guard.”
n Mission clear, complex
In remarks during Monday’s deployment day ceremony, Smith talked about the objective over the next 18 months.
“The mission that we have is clear, but it is also complex,” he said. “By the time we get to Iraq, the first free elections in Iraq’s history will have happened. We are going there to support the new government, the people and keep the freedoms that we have in America.
“I sympathize with you,” said state Rep. Russ Fairchild, R-85. “I remember some of the same anxieties that you are facing now when I found out that I was going to be heading for Vietnam. This is a sad day, but I know that you can do the job that is placed in front of you.
“Learn everything that you can, but do not forget your family and friends,” he continued. “It’s a changed world out there, and you have no idea how strong the support you have is.”
Fairchild addressed the family members about their role at home.
“For the families, the best thing that you can do is stay in tune and in touch,” he said. “Those e-mails, letters and cards, and care packages mean more to them than you could ever imagine, and we are all going to be so happy when you come home.”
Following his remarks, Fairchild gave Smith a Pennsylvania flag for the unit to take to Iraq.
n Gone again
Permar, who was joined by his wife, Judy, his four children, two stepmothers and other relatives Monday, thinks sometimes he has been married to the service longer than his wife.
“We’ve been together for six years and married for four,” he said, “but I think we’ve spent only 1 1/2 years of our marriage together. We were married for three months when the unit got deployed to Germany, and now I’m shipping out again,” he said.
“We actually just bought a new house.” he continued. “It’s tough on everyone, but my family has been very supportive, especially with all the care packages that they send us.”
Kim Mull, of Mount Carmel, chairperson of the Family Support Group at the armory, knows families need to be strong for those overseas, but some loved ones who have never have been through a deployment may need a little help themselves.
“The first time Edward (her husband) was deployed, that’s when everything went wrong,” she said. “The pipes burst ... everything happens. That’s what the Family Support Group is for, to help them emotionally and financially, if things get a little rough.”
n Phone cards issued
Mull started the show of support Monday by distributing international calling cards to the soldiers. The cards, valued at $3,000, were donated by Edwin H. Kleckner Inc., Montandon.
“They are a small company, and for them to do this for us is incredible,” Mull said. “We will all be so grateful for that.”
Edward Mull watched for other relatives to arrive, hoping to get a chance to say goodbye to them before leaving. At the same time, he was already planning a welcome-home celebration.
“We are going to have a big outdoor party and the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers are coming,” Mull joked. “Jerome Bettis will be staying in my spare bedroom.”
But the tone turned serious when he talked about his second deployment in the last three years. The first one, which ended in 2003, was a security mission in Germany.
“There’s a lot about this that feels the same, and some of it that is very different.” he said. “The last time it was a security mission in a non-hostile area of the world. This is a combat mission and we will be under fire. We think about the distinct possibility that some of us may not come back, but the last I checked, only three members of the Pennsylvania National Guard have been killed in Iraq in the two years it’s been occupied by U.S. forces.”
After a group photo and orders, the soldiers said their goodbyes and picked up their lunches.
As the buses drove off, the soldiers waved at their loved ones through tinted windows. The family members waved back, and began their long wait for a safe return.