Marine Reserves in Broken Arrow prepare for war

More military personnel from Oklahoma could be headed to harms way. News on Six anchor Tami Marler spoke with some Broken Arrow US Marine Reserves Wednesday. <br><br>Some are being activitated and others

Wednesday, January 8th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

More military personnel from Oklahoma could be headed to harms way. News on Six anchor Tami Marler spoke with some Broken Arrow US Marine Reserves Wednesday.

Some are being activitated and others are waiting for word on when they could be called up. But how do you prepare yourself for an uncertain mission, in an undisclosed location, with an undetermined length? And how do you explain it to your loved ones?

During the week, they're civilians, sales people, mechanics, electricians, and students like Corporal Douglas Applegate. "I did it because I really wanted to do it; but I wanted to go to school first and foremost, and I could do both at the same time." On weekends, they're warriors, battling invisible enemies in exercises at Camp Gruber. "You do a lot of training but you're spending your 24 hours a day 7 days a week with them, so it's kind of hard not to get to know 'em pretty good."

Kenneth Ball has been a Marine Reserve for nearly 13 years. He knows at any time, he could be called away. "You know the world affairs since September 11th, you kind of mentally got focused on it, and I mean its just part of life and someone has to pay for the price of freedom we have." So he leads the men who have chosen to pay that price, and leave plenty behind. "I have a fiancÃ© and we've been together for four years and she's been through boot camp and school of infantry and all the training that I go through so she knows you know that there's a possibility that it could happen at any time.â€

They don't even know what to tell their loved ones. About where they're going or when they'll be home. Corporal Noah Whitmire, "Just had to get my wife prepared and everything, because we've only been married two months so it's kind of difficult for her." Corporal Charles Weatherford,
"My father's a Vietnam vet and it's a little easier for him because he knows the call to duty and stuff like that so it's not so hard for him, but as far as brothers and sisters and moms and fiancÃ©s, they usually take it pretty hard."

Corporal Nathan Wells, "You know the next few nights I get to go home and spend time with them and kiss them goodnight and get up in the morning before I come in and kiss them before I go."

As many as 25 Marine Reserves are being activated out of the Broken Arrow unit. Their main function is to destroy enemy tanks. They know they'll be in the thick of it if they're called up for war with Iraq.