Soldiers’ sacrifice saluted
They came home proud of what they did in Afghanistan. Some were banged up.
One soldier, Staff Sgt. Shane Baldwin, stood up from his wheelchair on his only leg to hear Jaclyn Richardson sing, "God Bless America."
After a year-long deployment including nine action-packed months of combat operations, 400 Nevada National Guard soldiers were given due respects Wednesday at a ceremony complete with bagpipes, drums, speeches and flag-waving families.
Baldwin, a 30-year-old law enforcement officer from Cove, Ark., volunteered to go to Afghanistan with the Nevada Guard. While returning from a mission in northeastern Afghanistan on Jan. 19, a roadside bomb exploded. His hip and arm were broken and his left leg had to be amputated below the knee. The Nevada soldiers appreciated his service, and many of them filed by to thank him afterward.
"These are wonderful guys I worked with. They’re part of my family now," he said.
There were a combined 47 Purple Heart medals awarded, including one Wednesday to Sgt. Helman Roman.
In all, 730 troopers from Nevada’s 221st Cavalry Wildhorse Squadron went to Afghanistan and returned, some to different parts of Nevada and other states. While overseas, they pulled 6,200 patrols to fight militants and escort convoys. Some soldiers built schools and hospitals in remote areas of the war-torn country.
Nineteen wounded warriors sat next to the speaker’s podium at Mandalay Bay’s Events Center, where they were acknowledged by Brig. Gen. Frank Gonzales, commander of the Nevada Army National Guard. The crowd of about 2,000 gave them a standing ovation.
"Now if that’s not love, I don’t know what love is," he said.
Gonzales recognized the families, "the hometown warriors" who endured worry and wait while their husbands, dads, uncles and brothers fought the enemy.
"You’re the ones that … made sure they didn’t have to worry about home," he said. "When you get shot at and somebody’s trying to blow you up, it’s not really easy to think about what’s going on at home."
Gov. Jim Gibbons praised the troopers of the 221st for succeeding in the largest overseas deployment ever of the Nevada National Guard.
"The 36th star on the flag shines brighter today than ever before because of what you have done," he said. "You have made the state of Nevada proud. You’ve made your country and this community exceedingly proud.
"We now stand before you freer today because of what you have done," Gibbons said.
Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., thanked the soldiers for helping rebuild Afghanistan with hope that its government will be able counter the Taliban and al-Qaida.
"And the security patrols that this unit completed throughout the region, always in the face of the enemy, serve as a constant reminder to those who wish to do us harm that our coalition is not afraid," she said. "We are resolved to disrupt and dismount the evil terrorist networks that attacked us on 9/11."
Gibbons pinned a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service on the jacket of the unit’s overseas commander, Lt. Col. Scott Cunningham, who also spoke during the ceremony.
"Few things can be said in certainty but know this," Cunningham said. "When there are people in this world whose goal is the destruction of our society, our lives and our liberty, take comfort in knowing that proud brave men like these here in front of you stand ready to defend us where ever and whenever the call may come."
His soldiers went to Afghanistan because Americans "seek peace and wish for freedom of all the world’s people."
"The unfortunate thing is that within the world predators abound. Their message is hatred and their tactic is terror," he said. "Right now the center of this storm is in Afghanistan, and this is why we fight."
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
Nevada Army National Guard homecoming ceremony
