Troops head into battle

PITTSFIELD -- From the way Spc. Seth Tuper looks at it, this war is about families.

In a few weeks, the 25-year-old Florida resident will deploy to Afghanistan for a year with the 379th Engineer Company of the Massachusetts National Guard.

He'll leave behind a 22-year-old wife, Elysse, and a 14-month-old daughter, Charlotte.

But he'll do so knowing there's a noble mission standing in front of him.

"This war is a fight to protect families -- my family, my fellow soldiers' families and the families in Afghanistan," he said. "That's what's motivating me. The mission is to make both our country and Afghanistan safer places."

Tuper was one of 40 members of the unit's Detachment 1 force that was honored Friday evening in a send-off ceremony at Taconic High School, where people like Gov. Deval Patrick, Mayor James M. Ruberto, State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing and State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, wished them warm goodbyes.

The auditorium swelled with family, friends and dozens of Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force veterans who donned their colors and caps and sat in the seats in squad formation.

Twenty-four soldiers of the 379th are from Berkshire County -- Pittsfield, North Adams, Adams, Becket, Cheshire, Dalton, Florida and Lee. The rest hail from Hampshire, Franklin or Hampden counties.

They will ship out in two days for Wisconsin, where they'll link up with their other detachment 

About half of the unit has been deployed before, the other half are newbies.

Company commander Capt. Christopher Furlong, a Dalton police officer, told the crowd that the unit is in good hands -- each others'.

They've prepared for this mission for more than a year, training, exercising and taking online courses in the culture, language and regions of Afghanistan.

"The morale is great," said Furlong, who served a tour in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. "We are as ready as we can be."

Their missions will range from building roads to constructing helicopter landing pads. They will likely be asked to clear minefields and provide security for convoys.

Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter said their jobs are "indispensable " and will help complete President Barack Obama's goal to dismantle al-Qaida's capability of killing Americans.

Since 2001, 7,500 Massachusetts National Guardsmen have deployed in the two Middle East wars. Carter said there will be 3,300 serving in Afghanistan this year as part of the surge.

Patrick, who attended the unit's other sendoff in Brockton earlier in the day, said he understands how families will experience a mixed bag of pride and apprehension in the coming weeks. He assured the troops that "we will look out for your families and make sure they are cared for while you make your sacrifice.

"Hurry home and be safe," he said.

After the event, mothers, fathers and wives cried tears into their boys' uniforms.

AC/DC played on the loudspeaker.

Hugs abounded.

For Elysse Tuper, she will find support in her family and in her job. She's heading up one of two family readiness groups that have been established to help connect and lend support to the soldiers' families.

"We will help each other get through this," she said. "We'll stay busy."

William Driscoll, a 21-year-old Pittsfield resident and a McCann Technical School grad, said he's looking forward to the camaraderie of his fellow troops and the experience of another land. He's being deployed for the first time.

"We're going there to do our mission and come home," he said. "We're going to work together as a team and get the job done."

Furlong told the families that while this next year may seem like 10, they should have a little sense of calmness knowing their soldiers are protecting America.

"Everyday the light will grow a little brighter," he said. "We'll be thinking of you. We're going to make you all proud."

To reach Benning W. De La Mater:
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(413) 496-6243.