Miami Herald January 10, 2003
S. Florida citizen-soldiers on alert
BY ELAINE DE VALLE, PHIL LONG AND MARTIN MERZER
The march toward possible war with Iraq advanced deeply into South Florida homes, businesses and lives Thursday.
The Pentagon alerted the Miami-based First Battalion of the 124th Infantry, an Army National Guard unit, that it will be mobilized for active duty. Most of the 564 citizen-soldiers live and work in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
It will be the largest call-up thus far of local reservists or National Guard personnel -- and apparently the first of local combat troops.
Though their destination is not known, this is: Many lives are likely to change drastically during the next few weeks and months.
Initial thoughts of Specialist Dennis Zayas, 30, of Pembroke Pines: Time to increase the life insurance and sign a power of attorney and write a will. And embrace his wife, Danely.
''She is very worried,'' Zayas said as he stood in the Robert A. Ballard Armory in Liberty City, the unit's headquarters. ``She hugged me and started crying when I told her. But she supports me. She said for me to do whatever I have to do.''
Family and duty. For military personnel, sometimes the two must coexist uneasily.
Sgt. Lenin Otero, 23, has been a member of the National Guard for about a year. Before that, he was on active duty for four years, primarily with the 92nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He was posted to four states and served a tour of duty in Germany, but he has never been away from home for as long as a year, and that could happen this time.
On Thursday, Otero thought of his wife, Sofimary, 22, and his infant daughter, Leiny, and he tried to make the best of things.
''It's not the quantity of the time,'' Otero said. ``It's the quality of the time.''
DADE AND BROWARD
In all, two-thirds of the unit's soldiers live in Miami-Dade or Broward. The rest come from Palm Beach County or other areas stretching as far north as Cocoa Beach.
Nearly all are civilians who meet one weekend a month and participate in a two-week summer training session.
Most pulled guard duty at South Florida airport and seaports after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the unit helped maintain order and was stationed at Goulds Park in South Miami-Dade.
On Thursday, their officers said much was still unknown, including when the irrevocable activation notice would arrive, when they will ship out, where they will end up or what their duties might be. The 53rd Infantry Brigade, the 124th Infantry's parent unit, has not yet received its orders.
The Pentagon's Iraq war plan calls for the use of up to 250,000 troops from all services. On Thursday, the Marine Corps blocked discharges for the next year. The order applies to all active duty and reserve Marines.
Initially, the South Floridians were expected to join about 1,300 soldiers from units of the 124th Infantry that are based in Central and North Florida. Placed on alert shortly before Christmas, those units were officially activated, traveled this week to Fort Stewart, Ga., and will begin field training next week.
Patrick Garrett of GlobalSecurity.org, a nonprofit analysis firm based in Washington, D.C., said the entire 124th Infantry likely will be sent overseas.
''This is a definite possibility,'' he said. ``These battalions are attached to one of the premier units of the Army.''
Lt. Col. Ron Tittle, chief spokesman for the Florida National Guard, noted that the 124th Infantry is being issued desert camouflage ''battle dress'' uniforms, known as BDUs.
''Look around the world and see where they are wearing desert BDUs,'' he said. ``There is a good chance they will be going somewhere in that area.''
Chief among those places: the Persian Gulf.
National Guard troops and reservists are not as likely as regular troops to see combat, but they might. If so, South Florida's part-time soldiers said, so be it.
''That's why I joined the military, to defend America and fight for freedom,'' Zayas said. ``I knew it would come to that at one time.''
At the armory, the atmosphere was electric as officers grabbed ringing phones and began working through a list of predeployment activities.
''From the more senior people who have experience, there's a little bit of excitement tempered with nervousness and fear,'' said Jon Myatt, spokesman for the Florida Department of Military Affairs. ``But most of these guys have served active duty and they liked it.
``That's why they signed up for the guard. They know what the risks are. The concern isn't for themselves, it's mostly for their families.''
The military buildup also affected North Miami Police Officer Fresnel Desir, who has been called to active duty and will likely leave next week.
Desir, 38, one of the few Creole-speaking officers in a city with a booming Haitian population, is part of the Army's 260th Military Intelligence Unit. He doesn't know where he is being sent, but that might not be the worst part.
Desir became engaged on Christmas Day. Now, marriage will have to wait. ''My life is pretty much on hold,'' he said.
12 YEARS
Back at the 124th Infantry, Zayas said he has been with the National Guard for 12 years. In civilian life, he works as a federal security screener at Miami International Airport. Before that, he served as a police officer in Puerto Rico for 12 years.
''I'd be a fool to tell you I'm not afraid,'' he said. ``Do I have a little bit of fear? Yes, because you don't want to die. But it makes me human and I think stronger when it comes time to face the music.
``I feel pretty good. The only thing that really concerns me is the well-being of my family -- knowing they'll be OK.''
Herald staff writer David Ovalle and research editor Elisabeth Donovan contributed to this report.
ABOUT THE UNIT
The Army National Guard 124th Infantry has almost 2,000 soldiers in three battalions headquartered in Miami, Orlando and Panama City. It accounts for about one-fifth of the Florida National Guard's 10,000 personnel.
As a standard light infantry ground combat unit, its soldiers fight on the ground, from vehicles and from the air. Their job is to take ground and hold it.
The unit's most common weapon is a Standard M16 A2 rifle, but soldiers also use M60 machine guns, shoulder-fired missiles and other light anti-tank weapons. They travel mostly by Humvees. As a combat unit, it has no women.
The soldiers train one weekend a month and a two-week stint in the summer.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, members served as security guards at airports and seaports. The 124th last saw combat in the Philippines near the end of the World War II.
-- Phil Long
Copyright © 2003 Miami Herald
