Staff Sgt. Rob Holdway holds his daughter Grace
Katherine after the send-off ceremony at Camp Shelby
Thursday afternoon. Andre Teague (Bristol Herald Courier)

BY MATTHEW LAKIN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Nov 12, 12:04 AM EST

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – Staff Sgt. Rob Holdway told his wife and children not to come see him off Thursday.

He changed his mind.

"They came, and I’m glad they did," Holdway said as he held his 9-year-old daughter, Grace Katherine. "It just makes it hard to see everybody else’s family down here and not mine."

The soldier from Fall Branch, Tenn., thought he would spare his family the heartache of watching him and the other members of Troop F, 2nd Squadron, of the 278th Regimental Combat Team march across the parade field for their final goodbye.

But not being there would have been worse, he and his wife, Kim, decided.

"Just to see him one more time – every minute makes the difficulty worth it," she said. "As the time gets closer, it just hurts a little more."

The parade was part of a Veterans Day send-off for the more than 4,000 soldiers of the 278th, who deploy to Iraq later this month for peacekeeping duty.

For the men of Troop F, the ceremony was the capstone of the journey that began when they left Bristol Tennessee on Father’s Day for combat training at Camp Shelby and later at Fort Irwin, Calif.

"It’s getting a whole lot of real now," said Sgt. David Rapcan of Kingsport, Tenn.

Thousands of family members from across Tennessee and the six other states that make up the regiment packed the bleachers for a last glimpse of their soldiers.

"It’s fitting that on Veterans Day we remember our heroes," Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said. "And it’s fitting that we honor our next generation of heroes. Today you are volunteers in the truest of spirits. I urge every Tennessean to pray for the safe return of these men and women."

The day began early with carloads of friends and relatives clogging U.S. Highway 49 on their way to the base.

At the barracks, families tried to enjoy as many moments as they could.

Spc. Adam Bain of Johnson City, Tenn., and his wife, Rebecca, married just after the troop went on alert in January. He’ll be in Iraq on their first anniversary.

"We try not to think about it," Bain said. "We’ll celebrate everything when I get back. And we can talk online."

"If not, you’ll get lots and lots of letters," his wife said.

Sgt. Kenny Gaskin of Johnson City and his wife, Shannon, laughed as he showed off his stuffed Tigger doll – dressed in full desert combat gear stripped from a G.I. Joe action figure.

"I keep him next to my weapon," Gaskin said. "I guess this is my relief. I look at it, and it makes me laugh and think of home. He’s my combat Tigger."

The doll’s a smaller version of the stuffed Tigger his wife keeps at home. She bought it for Gaskin the first Christmas after they married, and the Winnie the Pooh character became a family theme.

"Everybody needs something," Shannon Gaskin said. "I don’t care if you’re an adult or a child, everybody needs something."

Staff Sgt. Stacey Farley of Abingdon, Va., sat on his bed talking with his wife, Tanya, and their children – Steven, 13, Taylor, 6, and Cassie, 2.

Taylor couldn’t find the pink Barbie blanket she gave her father before he left.

"The first thing she looked for was his blanket," Tanya Farley said. "She said, ‘I don’t see my pink blanket.’ "

"It’s in Kuwait waiting on me," her husband said.

The morning also was a reunion for the members of Troop F transferred to other units. The men, who drilled together for years, posed for a group photo just before formation.

"I know everybody that’s standing here," said Staff Sgt. John Jones of Bristol. "I’ve been with these guys for 15 years. It’s like coming home."

Formation started just before 10:30 a.m. Family members stepped aside as 1st Sgt. John Cartwright handed out the troop’s Global War on Terrorism medals for their upcoming service.

"There’ll be more," Staff Sgt. Robert Duff said. "We’ve come a long way. We’ve got a job to do, and we’re going to get the job done and get back."

Tanya Farley couldn’t keep from feeling sad as she watched.

"I think reality hit me," she said. "I’ve done so well at home, having to be Mom and Dad to our kids. But when they were all standing there and the first sergeant was talking to them, it just made it more real. You can’t describe to somebody else what it’s like."

A few minutes later, other troops of the 2nd Squadron came marching down the street. Troop F fell in behind them, joining the cadence.

Outside regimental headquarters, the full squadron assembled for the march to the parade field.

"It’s kind of awe-inspiring," said Lt. Col. Frank McCauley, the squadron’s commanding officer. "The guys are ready. It gives you a real sense, too, of the hardship and sacrifice that has made all this possible."

The men marched to the parade ground, where they joined the regiment’s other squadrons beneath a giant American flag.

Retired Maj. Dan King, who once served with some of Troop F’s men, watched.

"Ten years ago, I would have wished I could be with them," he said.

The ceremony began with a prayer by Maj. Randy Cruze, the regimental chaplain. He read from a prayer offered by the Rev. Samuel Doak in 1780 on behalf of the Overmountain Men, the frontier militiamen, claimed as ancestors of the 278th, who defeated the British at the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain, S.C.

"Make our horses strong, our soldiers brave, our enemy weak and our journey home to our families short," he prayed.

Families strained to spot soldiers as the regiment assembled on the parade field. Some of the bleachers swayed as people shifted back and forth.

"That might be our guys right there," said Melissa Baker of Chuckey, Tenn., who was looking for her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Marty Baker.

"I hope we get to see Dad when they pass," said their 16-year-old son Aron.

"I don’t know if we’ll be able to pick him out," his mother said.

"I can tell Dad from the rest of them," Aron said.

Nathanael Holdway had no trouble spotting his father, Rob, from the bleachers or later, when families walked onto the field.

"There he is!" the 10-year-old shouted. "I see him!"

He ran to his father. So did his brother Noah, 7, and sister Grace Katherine.

"I love you, Daddy," the little girl whispered.

mlakin@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558.

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