By David Spunt Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
FORT BENNING, GA-- Just over 200 soldiers from Fort Benning were in the air Tuesday night, on their way to a war in Iraq.News 3 On Your Side
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Stumble It!Over 150 soldiers are with the 988th Military Police Battalion. They'll deploy to Iraq for a year. The other group will also leave for a year. The 233rd Transportation Platoon is made up of about 50 soldiers.
News 3 caught up with soldiers and their families just spending a few more minutes before it was time to say goodbye.
“This is the toughest part for me as far as just waiting here. We have to wait here for hours and hours before we board the play to fly out,” said SGT Fritz Sanchez with the 233rd Transportation Platoon.
Leaving his family is something Sanchez says is the most difficult part of being a soldier. While he's gone, he'll have four children and a young wife waiting back at home.
“It's a lot to handle because the last time he left I was pregnant, so this will be the first time I'm doing it by myself with four children,” said his wife Maleny Sanchez.
Sanchez says he's excited he'll be able to keep in touch with his children over the phone and internet, but he says it just won't be the same without seeing them in person.
“I'm going to miss putting her (his one year old daughter) to bed every night. I'm going to miss my son's tantrums and taking him to his baseball games and practicing with him,” Sanchez said.
For some of the soldiers, there is an upside. Sanchez and his fellow soldiers will only deploy for 12 months.
They're the first group of soldiers to leave since president bush reduced tours of duty by three months.
“Those 3 months are probably the longest 3 months of the deployment so I'm excited about 12 months instead of 15,” Sanchez said.
The 233rd transportation company last deployed in may of 2007. While in Iraq, they helped Fort Benning's 3rd Brigade with some of their missions.
