Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Henderson-based soldiers headed for Afghanistan

Nevada National Guard member to be deployed for a year

militarydeployment

Erin Dostal

Soldiers of the 137th Military Police, lead by Captain and Commander Laura Bouldry (left), gather at Floyd Edsall Armory in Las Vegas for a mobilization ceremony. The Henderson-based unit, which will perform basic law enforcement duties in a NATO-controlled region of Afghanistan, will be deployed into active duty this week.

137th Military Police Detachment Mobilization Ceremony

A member of the Honor Guard bears the Nevada State Flag during the 137 Military Police Detachment Mobilization Ceremony at Floyd Edsall Armory Sunday Morning. The Henderson-based unit, which will perform basic law enforcement duties in a NATO-controlled region of Afghanistan, will be deployed into active duty this week. Launch slideshow »

Friends and family gathered Sunday to honor another group of Nevada-based soldiers who will soon be heading off to war.

By mid-week, 48 Henderson-based Nevada National Guard members will enter active duty. Soon after, they’ll be deployed for a year-long tour in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of their friends and family members gathered at 9 a.m. Sunday at Floyd Edsall Armory, 6400 N. Range Road, for the 137 Military Police Detachment Mobilization Ceremony.

“I’ve served with a lot of you out there,” State Command Sgt. Maj. Darryl Keithly said during the ceremony. “You’re awesome soldiers and you’re great Americans.”

Keithly told the soldiers that before deployments, it helped to think of those who served before: the men who fought at Valley Forge with George Washington or those who fought in World War II.

“You are part of that legacy,” Keithly said, addressing the 137th. But “you are fighting a different war … the War on Terrorism.”

Gov. Jim Gibbons, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus sent representatives to the event to speak on their behalf.

Of the 48 soldiers who are being deployed this week, 22 have seen active duty before, said Laura Bouldry, captain and commander of the 137th Law and Order Detachment.

Bouldry has served in Iraq and Kuwait, but this will be her first tour in Afghanistan.

The unit will perform police duties, protecting soldiers who are already serving in Afghanistan, she said.

“These soldiers have pride, knowing what they stand for,” she said, adding that she was “exciting and sometimes curious” about what serving in Afghanistan will be like.

During her speech before the soldiers, Bouldry thanked her husband and her two daughters — 19-year-old Lindsey Bouldry and 17-year-old Rachel Jeauxdevine — for their support.

“It’s sad,” Jeauxdevine said. “This is her second deployment. She’s in a more dangerous” location.

Brigade Commander Lt. Col. Peter Mennicucci said that those who would be serving are 0.1 percent of the population of Nevada. They are the protectors of the community, he said.

Sgt. 1st Class Colin Care has been in the army for 18 years. This will be his eighth deployment. This time he will have to leave his six-month-old daughter, Samara, while he serves his year abroad.

“It’s a little bit of fear of the unknown,” said Care, who has never served in Afghanistan. “It’s another deployment, but I’m leaving my daughter. That’s completely different.”

Care’s mother, Jan Soldano, 58, of Hesperia, Calif., said she always worried while her son is abroad, but that her anxiety didn’t dampen her pride.

“He’s your baby boy,” she said. “You just support him. All you can do is be there with them.”

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