Families bid farewell to reservists, National Guard members at Fort Sill

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) -- Families bid farewell to more than 380 reservists and National Guard members who are being deployed overseas.<br/><br/>Dozens packed the stands at Fort Sill's Polo Field on Monday

Tuesday, November 8th 2005, 5:37 am

By: News On 6

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) -- Families bid farewell to more than 380 reservists and National Guard members who are being deployed overseas.

Dozens packed the stands at Fort Sill's Polo Field on Monday for the going away ceremony.

Detachment 1, Echo Company, 111th Aviation Battalion from Pineville, Louisiana; the 485th Quartermaster Company headquartered in Ada; the 755th Adjutant General (Postal) from Texarkana, Texas, and the 1011th Quartermaster Company from Farmington, Missouri, are being deployed.

John Beemer, operations specialist for the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, said the units have individual missions ranging from air traffic control, supplying fuel and water, to delivering the mail.

The 485th Quartermaster Company deployed from Fort Sill in 2003, but different soldiers are going this time around.

The unit, which arrived at Fort Sill on July 11, will be responsible for hauling fuel and water all over Iraq during the year to come.