A look at the ‘first time deployers’ in The 155th Armored Brigade

June 7, 2018

FORT BLISS, Tex. (WCBI) – Months of training in Mississippi and now Texas have brought us to this moment.

The 155th Armored Brigade prepares to make the long trip to the Middle East.

A deployment for any soldier can be tough, as far as mentally preparing, but for soldiers deploying for the first time it can be even harder.

Our Parker King has sat down with soldiers who will be doing just that and joins us live in El Paso with more.

It’s been an emotional roller coaster for the 155th.

Training, adjusting to a new environment, and now preparing to leave for nine months can put a toll on mentality.

For soldiers making their first deployment, the change has only just begun, but if the 155th is anything right now, it’s ready for the challenge.

“Whenever you get here, you know, we’re training for the real thing,” said Sgt. Devin Hill, a Pontotoc resident. “We’re not training just to be prepared, and it’s a lot more intense, a lot more evaluations, a lot harder, more stressful.”

Training is done, and the 155th Armored Brigade can only wait for their turn to board a plane to the Middle East.

For more than two months, these soldiers faced an environment similar to the one they’ll be facing for the next nine months, but now these men and women have adjusted.

“Fort Bliss is a great place to simulate the arid, desert environment we are going to see overseas,” said Starkville resident and Mississippi State Professor, 1Lt. Scott Edwards.

“We came here because of that environment. You know, anywhere from freezing cold at night to 105 at day, battling rattle snakes, scorpions, everything you can think of,” said Louisville native, 2Lt. Jordan Kemp.

Aside from the environment, the training itself has been difficult.

1st Lieutenant, Desiree Benson is the first female artillery officer in the state of Mississippi and knows the physical toll it takes to be in this brigade.

“Yeah! Sometimes you’re proving yourself,” she said with a laugh. “You know, it’s been a lot of showing the guys that ‘Hey. You know, you can do what they can do.’ Just as long as you know, as far as the physical condition of it, as long as you’re just keeping up with yourself and just knowing that you can do it, it’s very possible.”

For these four soldiers, this will be their first deployment, and the thoughts of what’s ahead send mixed emotions.

“The big thing is there’s so many emotions,” said Benson. “Sometimes, you just have to step back and just take it all in and just know that everything is going to be ok and that you’re deploying with a good unit. And so, you know that you’re going to excel and everything’s going to be alright.”

As far as what’s being left behind, soldiers count themselves fortunate they live in an area as understanding and hospitable as Northeast Mississippi.

“Oh! It’s incredible,” Edwards expressed. “It brings a lot of comfort in knowing when we do return next year we’ve got a place to go back to. That’s incredibly important from our mindset. There’s so much unknown we’re facing, so the more knowns that we have it makes everything a lot better.”

Training results put the 114th field artillery battalion out of Starkville among the top performers in the U.S. Army, and the other battalions are performing at high levels.

When asked if they are ready for this deployment, the answers were all the same.

“Absolutely! We are ready,” exclaimed Kemp.

“They are trained, they are ready, and honestly we’re excited to be able to go forward with that mission as soon as we can,” said Edwards.

Benson said, “I think we have proven ourselves to be at the top, and I think we are more than definitely ready to go over there and show what we can do.”

“The 155 is ready to get there, do our job, and get back home,” said Hill.

Soldiers have been leaving Fort Bliss wave by wave since the beginning of the month, and tomorrow morning we will be at a troop sendoff where another wave of our brave men and women will be making the long trip to the Middle East.