Veterans gather in West Point, 20 years after being deployed

The 223rd Engineering Battalion were among the first set of units to be sent to Iraq from West Point.

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Honor and pride. It’s part of serving in the military.So is comradery.

The 223rd Engineering Battalion was among the first set of units to be sent to Iraq from West Point.

Marking 20 years, they met at the National Guard Armory in West Point to reconnect and catch up.

Larry Boeke said that they all have maintained friendships over the years.

“We all have good friendships, a great bond,” Boeke said. “It is just wonderful to see everybody finally get together after 20 years.”

Retired battalion commander Rubel West agreed.

“It feels good. 20 years went by like a snap of a finger but there’s a lot of our soldiers who went with us who are no longer with us so we’re blessed to be here today,” West said.

Serving in the military is not an easy job and some soldiers never return home. But that is a risk some are willing to take.

West said that he respects anyone willing to make such a personal sacrifice for others.

“They had to drop what they were doing, forget about their families or put them aside, and focus on the missions so I think the world of them,” West said. “It is pretty hard to find people that dedicated to serving rather than self-serving nowadays and these guys were ready to serve.”

The engineering battalion provides critical support to troops during wartime and at home during natural disasters.

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