Nevada Guard trucks rolling in Egypt

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Sept. 27, 2001 | 9:02 a.m.

Members of the 1864th Transportation Co., Nevada Army National Guard, raised the flags of the United States, Nevada and the 1864th in front of their tent in the Egyptian desert Saturday.

The unit arrived in Egypt early Friday afternoon to support the NATO exercise Bright Star and began hauling supplies from ships at Port of Agami to Mubarak Military City for Bright Star war games this week.

"Everything has gone smoothly, and we're being well taken care of," Capt. Shawn Casey, commander of the 1864th, said.

The 40 soldiers made stops in Gander, Newfoundland, and Sigonella, Italy, to refuel before landing at their destination Jiyanklis, Egypt.

"The major challenge so far on this mission is that the first supply ship has not arrived yet, and because of that, access to phones and computers is very limited," Casey said the day after the unit's arrival.

Sgt. Lloyd Allen agreed.

"I was in Bosnia for 11 months, one of the first units in, but this is far worse as far as being isolated," Allen said.

After landing in Egypt the Nevada soldiers still had to travel by bus two hours into the Sahara Desert before they reached Mubarak Military City.

Specialist Hormidas Bourassa, who has been with the Nevada unit for two years, said he was nervous when he first arrived in Egypt.

"I've never been so far away from home, and have never been in the Middle East." "Today, though, it just seems desolate, and I am ready to get to work."

Academy night

A near-capacity crowd of parents and high school students filled the 500-plus-seat theater at the Community College of Southern Nevada on Saturday for Academy Information Night. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., opened the program with apologies for the rest of the Nevada congressional delegation, who were unable to leave Washington.

Former Air Force and National Guard fighter pilot, Rep. Jim Gibbons sent his remarks for the gathering via videotape.

The featured speakers for the evening, however, were cadets from the U.S. Military Academy and the Naval Academy.

Kevin Joyce, a 1998 graduate of Eldorado High School and the son of Edward and Loretta Joyce of Las Vegas, discussed his reason for applying to the Naval Academy and his experiences as a cadet.

Damian Taafe-McMenamy, a 1998 graduate of Silverado High School and the son of Charles and Anna McMenamy of Las Vegas, told the audience about his experiences at West Point.

Additional presentations were given by military officers about the Air Force Academy and ROTC opportunities at the Community College, UNLV and elswhere. A parent of a cadet discussed the experiences of his daughter at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

In brief