Brothers are among 175 Nevadans to be deployed

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004 | 11:01 a.m.

The families of 175 Nevada soldiers have a little more than two weeks before they have to say goodbye to loved ones heading to the Middle East for an 18-month tour of duty with the Army National Guard's 1864th Transportation Co.

While parents and spouses worry about the safety of their departing family members, Geneva Irenze finds herself with twice the worry as she sends both of her sons to fight the war in Iraq.

"You worry, but you just have to trust in God to take care of everything," Geneva said of her two sons, Marco and Massimo, both sergeants with the 1864th. "In a way it's a little comforting to know that they will be together, even if they only see each other once in a while.

"It's like someone extra is there who has your back, and it just happens to be your brother," she said.

By mid-September Marco, 30, and Massimo, 25, will probably be behind the wheels of tractor-trailers hauling water, ammunition and supplies through the desert of Iraq and Kuwait.

The Henderson-based 1864th is tasked with hauling to other soldiers the needed equipment using a fleet of green, well-worn, Army-built trucks that members of the 1864th say may not be cherry but will get the job done.

Marco and Massimo are one of two sets of Southern Nevada brothers who will deploy to the Middle East with the 1864th, despite having the opportunity to request different assignments.

"We could have made a request for one of us to stay home, but how do you make that decision?" Marco asked. "We both want to go and serve our country."

Massimo, who is single, originally thought that his brother maybe should be the one to stay home because of his wife and three children.

"It was something I thought about because of his family, but we put our heads together and decided that it was best that we both go," Massimo said.

Adjutant Gen. Giles Vanderhoof, commander of the Nevada National Guard, said that he has received very few requests from soldiers asking not to be deployed.

"We've told everyone that if they have any reason for us to consider not sending them to go through their first sergeant and commander and the request will be reviewed," Vanderhoof said. "It's not something that is real easy, but there are always legitimate reasons to be considered."

The Irenzes and the rest of the 1864th are scheduled to fly to Fort Lewis, Wash., on Aug. 19 and after a few weeks of training there they will move on to the Middle East.

Marco Irenze, who is a Transportation Safety Administration supervisor at McCarran International Airport, will leave at home his wife and three sons, ages 17, 7 and 6.

"Of course you don't want them to go, because we know that convoys are the targets of choice over there right now," Marco's wife Kimberly said. "I get nervous knowing they are both going, but at the same time I know they are both proud to do their part.

"We support them 100 percent," she said.

Marco said that fear of kidnapping and attacks on convoys is something that is at the back of his mind, but knows how important the 1864th's mission is.

"We're the ones that take the essentials to the soldiers who are up front," said Marco, who has been with the National Guard for seven years. "I look forward to delivering those guys that piece of mail or food that might make a difference for them. It may not seem that important, but it's important to the soldiers over there and that makes me feel good."

Massimo, who has been in the National Guard for three years and has spent the past year working security at the Clark County Armory, said his life will be on hold for the next 18 months.

"I'm hoping to take some online college courses while I'm over there, but everything else is going to be put aside," said Massimo, who wants to be a veterinarian. "My girlfriend and I toyed with the idea of getting married before I left, but we decided we'll get married when I get back. It gives me something to look forward to."

Aurelio, the brothers' father, and Geneva, are in the process of moving from Mississippi to Las Vegas to be closer to Kimberly, their grandchildren and Massimo's girlfriend, Luciana Moscuzza.

Aurelio said he would rather have his sons in Las Vegas playing their favorite games, paint ball and chess, but understands why they want to go overseas.

"They are fighting for a cause they believe in and I have to let them make their own choices," Aurelio said. "I feel comfortable with the fact that they are going to be together and have the extra support of each other."

The brothers don't know if they will see much of each other once they reach the Middle East, but Marco said he thinks that might be for the best.

"We may see each other in passing or have time to talk, but we're going to have to seperate ourselves from the family thing," Marco said. "The mission is No. 1, and it has to be if you want to come back alive.

"If I hear about Massimo getting hurt I can't just leave my men and put them in jeopardy to go to him," Marco said. "I have to trust that he's strong and that our other brothers in the company will take care of him."

Although worried about the terrorism going on in Iraq, including car bombing and kidnapping, being deployed more than a year after the war began means better amenities for her husband and brother-in-law, Kimberly said.

Phones and e-mail are more easily accessible than they were in the early months of the war, and so are such comforts as showers and air conditioning.

"We may be able to find a chess board and get a game in," said Marco, who usually wins their matches according to Massimo. "In the end we just want to be able to come home together."