164th Gets Sendoff

Today, the Minot-based National Guard 164th held a send-off ceremony for the 119 soldiers prepari...  More »

Today, the Minot-based National Guard 164th held a send-off ceremony for the 119 soldiers preparing to head to Mississippi for training, then to Iraq. Though we frequently see siblings deploy together, this time, another family combination is in the mix. Abby Wuellner has their story... It's a moment so many parents say they dread... sending a son or daughter serving in the military over to Iraq. But Jeff Barta seems to have found a way to avoid that moment. I'm deploying with my daughter. So I have someone watching out for me. When the group leaves for training in Mississippi on Thursday, Jeff and Heather Barta, father and daughter, will board the plane together. He's been in the military for 26 years, and Heather spent most of those years looking at her dad's service as an inspiration. Even from being little and watching him come home in his uniform, or hearing about him going to Honduras or Germany, different stuff like that, and I just see how the military has shaped him as a person and as a leader, is definitely what influenced me to join. And this didn't happen completely by accident. In fact, they planned it this way. Jeff was going to deploy with a unit from Bismarck earlier in the year, but asked to change that, so he and his daughter could serve at the same time. Which Heather says is greatwith only a minor drawback. My dad is there, so maybe if I get in a little trouble, Dad will know. But as the crowd sang the star spangled banner...and various dignitaries spoke...one woman in the crowd prepared for that difficult momenta point tomorrow when she will say goodbye to her husband and her daughter. It would probably be a lot more difficult if we were going at separate times. It would be tough for her for one person to leave and come back, then the next person to leave. So she's glad we're both going at the same time. And though they don't know yet how often they'll see one anotheror even speak to each otherJeff, Heather, and their family members say they take comfort in knowing the two are close byand take pride in the mission they've accepted. In Minot, Abby Wuellner, KX News. This will be the first deployment for both Jeff and Heather.  « Less