Red Horse squadron deploys to Iraq again

Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

Staff Sgt. Sarah Bowdish was ready Thursday for another trip to the Middle East. She had sunglasses and lots of Chapstick in her backpack and books, "lots of books" packed for the deployment with the 820th Red Horse Squadron.

The squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, was called into action for Operation Iraqi Freedom on Thursday, its second deployment as part of the war on terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001. Members of the squadron spent six months in Afghanistan last year building a runway and other support structures.

"I don't know about excited, maybe expected," Bowdish said of the callup of 90 members of the highly mobile civil engineers of squadron, five of them women.

Bowdish, 23, of Santa Maria, Calif., has been in Iraq and the Middle East twice before this, but not with Red Horse. She provides food, housing, water and equipment to the squadron's construction crews.

"It gets easier," Bowdish said. "I'm not thrilled to go, but it's not as bad as some people say."

The self-sufficient squadron is independent, operates in remote areas and high-threat environments. Not only are they capable of building projects, but they carry weapons to protect themselves.

Troop Commander Justin Morrison, 27, a project engineer, was going with Red Horse for the first time and expected to spend six months overseas.

He watched as squadron members chowed down on burritos, tacos and French fries before the 5:50 p.m. flight.

"Everyone is pretty excited to do the job since 9/11," Morrison said.

"No deployment is ever routine," Morrison said, "but they know what to expect. It's my job to get them back home safe and sound as quick as possible."

The squadron's job could entail anything from building toilets to tank parking lots. "It's heavy construction work, like buildings and runways," Morrison said.

Staff Sgt. Leigh Wise spent four months in the Middle East almost two years ago, deploying from New Jersey.

She was preparing to leave her husband, Chad, again, this time home at Nellis.

"I sit on computers and on the phone and make sure they get everything," Wise said.

Staff Sgt. James Kroft was making his fourth trip overseas in six years, all of them with Red Horse.

"I keep volunteering every time they go," Kroft said.

He was leaving Tamara, his wife of five years, in Las Vegas.

But it wasn't a return trip for all of the Red Horse members.

Married seven months, Senior Airman Collin Bennett, 25, was leaving wife, Tori, in Las Vegas for something he has been waiting for since entering the service.

"I've been looking forward to this day since the day I enlisted," Bennett said.

Senior Airman Ryan Shaffer, 21, played solitaire before leaving Nellis. He came to Southern Nevada from Philadelphia and his wife, Samantha, is also in military service.

"I've been waiting for this since I got here a year ago," Shaffer said.

"It'll be a change, something new," Airman Michael Young, 21, of Erie, Penn., said.