Local Naval Reservists headed for duty in Iraq

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004 | 11:08 a.m.

Over the last three weeks Naval Reservist Shelly Marshall has graduated from college, got married and gained a stepdaughter in addition to her own two teenagers. But beginning today, her life gets even more complicated.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Marshall is one of 34 Naval Reserve sailors based in Las Vegas who have been called to active duty for a year and ordered to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"I'm not too worried about the danger because I know that the security will be tight over there," Marshall said while preparing to deploy Tuesday from the Las Vegas Reserve Center at Nellis Air Force Base. "I believe in the people going over there with me and we've got each other's backs.

"I'm a little stressed about leaving my husband here because he has got to hold it together with three teenage daughters."

Marshall, 36, graduated with a counseling degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Dec. 17, and was married Dec. 20, creating a family of five with her new husband, his daughter, and her two daughters.

Michael Salay, Marshall's new husband, said he thinks he can handle the home front while Marshall is away.

"I'm really proud of her, but at the same time I'm a little anxious," said Salay, a Las Vegas Hilton bartender. "I'm going to miss her, but I try to look at the big picture and realize that it won't be that long apart.

"I'm looking at it like one big extra long work week for her."

Marshall, who managed to get away for a quick honeymoon to New York and Washington, is scheduled to board a Navy DC-9 at Nellis Air Force Base this afternoon.

The sailors are part of the 14th Cargo Handling Battalion, and will likely end up working in warehouses and piers in the Middle East loading and unloading cargo, said Chief Petty Officer Greg Murphy, command chief of Las Vegas' Naval reserves.

"We can't say the exact locations that they will be deployed to, but they will spend about four or five weeks training in Williamsburg, Va., before heading overseas," Murphy said.

Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, about 109 reserve sailors from Las Vegas have been deployed, including a Naval Coastal Warfare unit that fought in Iraq during the early days of the war. Five of the 109 remain deployed in Iraq, Murphy said.

It will be the first deployment for Marshall, who works as a counselor and a substitute teacher.

"Part of the reason I got back into the reserves was because I thought that in these times the country could use what I have to offer," said Marshall, who served a year with the Navy in 1985 and became a reserve member about 18 months ago. "I'll miss my family, but this is a part of what I signed up for."

Other members of the unit say they have been staying tuned in to news reports from Iraq, knowing they could be called to active duty.

"We know our deployment is for 365 days, and we're ready to spend whatever time is necessary over there," said Petty Officer 1st Class Tony Mascari, a 38-year-old blackjack and roulette dealer at the Suncoast. "I think our families are trying to be as brave as they can, but they're concerned."

Mascari has been with the reserves for 12 years, and spent four years with the Navy in the mid-1980s. During his tour with the Navy he served on the USS Tripp, a fast frigate, twice in the Mediterranean Sea.

"In 1985 and 1987 we didn't have things like e-mail, and we had to wait about three weeks to get our mail," Mascari said. "Things have definitely improved in that area."

Mascari said the unit knows that there are going to be unpleasant parts of the deployment, but is confident that the unit will get its job done.

"I deal with heat and scorpions in Las Vegas, so I'm not going to worry about that stuff over there," Mascari said.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Belmonte said he knows what he'll be thinking about while overseas.

"I'm sure my family will be on my mind the whole time," said Belmonte, a 43-year-old warehouse supervisor in Las Vegas. "My 8-year-old daughter understands what I have to do, but my 5-year-old son just knows that daddy has to go to work for a long time."