Fort Sill unit deployed; Arkansas unit headed to Fort Sill

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ A chilly fog hung overhead as members of the III Corps Artillery bid farewell to their families and shipped out in support of the war on terrorism. <br><br>More than 200 soldiers from

Wednesday, January 15th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ A chilly fog hung overhead as members of the III Corps Artillery bid farewell to their families and shipped out in support of the war on terrorism.

More than 200 soldiers from B Company, 62nd Engineers and the 15th Transportation Company don't know how long they'll be gone, but they've received orders to support U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility in Southwest Asia, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa.

``We came in about 2 in the morning, got our weapons out of the arms room, loaded up our equipment and had our inspections,'' Capt. Charles Grant, commander of Bravo Company, 62nd Engineers, said early Tuesday.

``This is the point of no mistakes here. This is the Super Bowl, so you want to make sure everything is right,'' Grant said.

Grant's unit began preparing for deployment in November, he said. B Company has no specific mission, but will provide general engineering support and support the combat forces in the theater during the buildup.

The engineers set the stage for the combat forces by constructing roads, bridges, airfields and base camps that will be needed for combat.

``I'm kind of psyched up, actually. This is what we're in the Army to do,'' Grant said.

The primary mission of the 19th Maintenance Battalion's 15th Transportation Company is to move ammunition and other supply for the theater, but battalion members can do anything, said battalion commander, Lt. Col. Rocky Baragona.

``It's a powerful capability,'' Baragona said.

The deployment means a lot to the soldiers, including 2nd Lt. Steve Cowles, of Ithaca, N.Y. Cowles said he knew people who were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

``I'm ready to roll with the punches,'' Cowles said.

Meanwhile, members of a North Little Rock, Ark., company is preparing for mobilization to Fort Sill.

The 5,045th Garrison Support Unit will be mobilized Friday to help run the Army post, said Bob Williams, senior public affairs specialist with the five-state 90th Regional Support Command.

Among other duties, the 138 soldiers will augment and expand the anti-terrorism force protection mission, Williams said.

The mobilization order is for one year, but officials said the deployment could be expanded or shortened based on the needs of the military.

The unit has members in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas.

The unit was activated after the terrorist attacks and remained in place until October, said Emilio Tio, the 5,045th commander.

``The morale's good. Everybody's looking forward to doing the job they signed up for,'' Tio said.