With tug on heartstrings, unit departs

FRAMINGHAM -- Specialist Takia Rust of the Army National Guard held her 18-month-old son to her shoulder yesterday, her toddler playing with a toy helmet as a parade of speakers bade farewell to the 150 citizen-soldiers of the 1060th Transportation Company.

Like Rust, a 22-year-old single mother from Framingham, some other soldiers held babies while they sat at attention in Town Hall. Some had hair that had turned gray long ago. Some had never been away from home.

But they all had this in common: The truck drivers and mechanics of the 1060th are heading overseas for a year in Iraq, where they will ferry troops and ammunition over long, dusty roads where hidden explosives can kill or maim in an instant.

It's one of the most dangerous jobs for American troops in Iraq, but the soldiers of the 1060th expressed a quiet, focused determination.

Some of the relatives they are leaving behind, who now will have to care for children and keep families going until the soldiers return, weren't quite so confident.

``There's a lot going on over there," said Valerie Rust, Takia's aunt. ``She drives a truck, and those are the first ones you hear about" as targets, Rust said.

It was the second deployment ceremony in three days for a Massachusetts-based unit headed to Iraq, as the Bay State continues to contribute to the war effort. Nearly 500 members of the Army Reserve's 399th Combat Support Hospital in Taunton left Saturday.

There are about 515 Massachusetts National Guard soldiers in Iraq now. No Massachusetts Guard soldiers have been killed in Iraq. One has been killed in Afghanistan, and another has died in Kuwait.

For the self-described ``road warriors" of the 1060th, the perils of the task are well known, even if many of its soldiers are making their first trip to Iraq. The unit more than doubled in size in recent months in preparation for mobilization.

``I'm a little nervous, but I'll do the job they pay us for and come home to the family," said Sergeant David Rose, 33, of Westfield, a father of four who works full-time for the National Guard as a diesel mechanic.

Major Winfield Danielson, spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard, acknowledged that these troops can be thrust into harm's way on a regular basis. ``It's a combat zone, and they're going to be driving around in it, and obviously there's a threat of improvised explosive devices," he said.

Specialist Angel Garcia, 38, of Holyoke, said the unit has yet to see the trucks the soldiers will use in Iraq, but that he's heard they're of high quality.

The get-acquainted time between soldiers and machines will begin later this week at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, where the 1060th will train for up to two months before shipping out to Iraq.

But the focus was on family yesterday.

Christina Severe of Fitchburg held the 2-month-old daughter of her brother, Jean Desir, a father of five who is about to follow her footsteps to the Middle East. ``I went to Iraq two years ago, so I'm not too happy," said Severe, who also served in the Guard. ``You've got to be strong and stay strong."

Outside, after the troops had exited the hall, Specialist Josue Trigueros, 20, of Framingham, knelt down to adjust a sun-blocking blanket over the head of his 2-month-old namesake. Beside him, Sammi LaFrance, the baby's 18-year-old mother, quietly watched the unfolding drama of long embraces, muted laughter, and family photographs under brilliant skies.

Trigueros said he joined the National Guard ``to do something with my life and not just grow old, to have something to say to my kids and the grandchildren, that I did my duty as a citizen."

Specialist Josh Sousa, 21, of Rehoboth ambled over to Trigueros, his designated ``battle buddy" for the deployment. Sousa, a four-year veteran of the Guard, said he tries not to think of the danger. ``I joined the military, and I have a job to do," Sousa said.

His mother, Kelly Sousa, a camera in hand, maintained a brave face. ``He's trained well," she said, adding that the nearly daily e-mails she expects from Iraq will help her stay strong.

The company, 17 percent of them women, comes from across Massachusetts and from a wide range of backgrounds. Most have full-time civilian jobs.

``I see teachers, students, firemen, police officers, basically, the backbone of our communities across this great commonwealth," said Colonel Bill Callahan, as he addressed the troops and their families.

For Anita Rust, a Framingham Town Meeting member, prayer will be her rock during her the deployment of her daughter Takia.

``I think she'll be OK, but I prepare myself just in case," said Anita Rust, who will care for Takia's son, Jayden. ``If she doesn't come home, I have to believe it's God's will."

Takia Rust , who will drive a truck in Iraq, seems to have detached herself from the looming prospect of war, her mother said. ``She's aware, but if I say, `Watch the news,' she separates herself from it," Anita Rust said. ``But maybe that's the only way she can deal with it."

Takia Rust , her military beret fit snugly to her head, insisted that she's fully aware of what lies ahead. Her mother ``hasn't been at the training," she said. ``If you know what you're doing and you're paying attention, it's easy as cake."

With that, the extended Rust family gathered close for a photograph -- one 18-month-old boy and four generations of women, whose broad smiles masked any worries.

Takia Rust said she'll mark her long deployment day by day, ``just knowing that I'm one step closer to shipping home." And closer to a son, held in the arms of a mother bound for war.

Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at macquarrie@globe.com.