Guard unit on mission to train Afghan police

Spc. Dominic Martinez, of Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry, consoles his father, Robert, at the close of Saturday’s deployment ceremony at East Aurora High School. Rob Winner | Chronicle News Group

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

AURORA - Their motives for joining the Army National Guard may have varied, but on Saturday, 70 soldiers from the Aurora-based unit stood together for the same reason. “We knew what we were getting into when we signed up,” Spc. Ben Soloff of Aurora said before his unit marched onto Aurora East High School football field, lined with red, white and blue balloons for a deployment ceremony. Over the next few weeks, members of Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry, will leave for Afghanistan and join other National Guard units to train and mentor Afghan National Police. “We don't need to be put on a pedestal for doing what we do,” Soloff, 20, said, explaining that while he appreciated the ceremony, he felt a little spoiled by it. “This is what soldiers do.” Soloff's family and friends are getting their goodbyes ready not only for his departure Monday, but for his 19-year-old brother, Josh, who has been deployed with another unit. Josh leaves Thursday. “It was really a shock,” Soloff said of his brother's deployment, which was originally set for September. “We're not going to be as close to each other as we thought.” Soloff's unit is made up of soldiers from across state, including residents of Aurora, Batavia, DeKalb, Geneva and St. Charles. They are set to be in Afghanistan for at least one year. Saturday's ceremony, which was followed by a picnic, was attended by local lawmakers Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster and Sen. Chris Lauzen, as well as several military leaders, Batavia's VFW Post 1197, the Fox Valley Troop Support group and more than 150 of the unit's family and friends. “Farewells are never easy,” Chapa LaVia told the crowd that consisted of many smiling and teary-eyed supporters. The Aurora East High School graduate and former Army officer told the unit “to live in the present, live in each moment, don't harp on yesterday, ... and know this, you have made a difference.” While some soldiers referred to the deployment as an adventure, a new beginning or a camping trip, there were just as many who expressed concerns and sadness. “I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not going to lie. I'm nervous,” Spc. Chuck Sloat of Aurora said. “You're putting your life at risk, but I'm doing what I believe in.” Sloat, 35, said he's going to miss his wife, whom he married in October, and his two children, and plans to take advantage of the time they have before he leaves Sept. 29. “We're going to do as much as possible,” Sloat's wife, Liz Patterson said. “It's emotional for me ... I'm going to miss him.” The unit's captain, Nathan Westby, told the crowd that enlisting during a war “says an awful lot about a man's character.” “Everyone can start, but not everyone has the heart to finish,” he said. “Charlie Troop, what's our motto?” Without hesitation, the unit as a whole replied, “Always Watching.” “That's right,” Westby said. “More now than ever, you'll be watching.” And Bob Zeman, commander of Batavia's VFW Post, reminded the unit that many others will watch them and wait for their safe return. “You are leaving your family and friends, but you'll take their love with you,” he said. “(VFW Post 1197 is) here for you and will continue to support you. You'll be a part of us someday.”