A second Iraq tour for Guard brigade

About 2,900 citizen soldiers in the Washington National Guard have received orders to serve in Iraq, a call-up that underscores continued reliance on the Guard to help wage the five-year-old war there.

The Seattle-based 81st Heavy Combat Brigade Team, which draws soldiers from all over the state, will report for active duty in August. Its yearlong tour will involve security, force protection and other missions.

This will be the second trip to Iraq for the 81st Brigade, which was deployed there in 2004-05.

The soldiers returning to Iraq will be a mix of veterans and new recruits. Lt. Col. William Palmer, who commands about 500 soldiers in the 1st Squadron, 303rd Calvary of the 81st, estimates about 60 percent of the brigade served during the first tour and 40 percent has joined the Guard since then.

The brigade, reinforced by additional Guard soldiers from California, was involved in a wide range of security and other missions during its 2004-05 deployment. Ten Guardsmen were killed during that deployment, which began with many soldiers on patrols in unarmored Humvees and trucks that were vulnerable to roadside bombs.

"I rode from Kuwait to Balad in a vehicle with sandbags on the floor and no doors. But that's what we had," said Palmer.

This time around, the soldiers will use a better-armored fleet that includes the M1151 Humvees and the M1117 armored security vehicles. These will be a big improvement over the vehicles available at the start of the previous deployment, Palmer said.

During the previous tour of active duty, the soldiers of the 81st were mobilized for 18 months, including stateside and Iraq duty. This time, the total tour of duty — including training that will begin in August in Wisconsin — will be 12 months, plus whatever personal-leave time a soldier has accrued.

For soldiers' families, the tour means another long period of separation. As deployments have become a routine part of service, the Washington National Guard in recent years has beefed up its support staff to help families prepare for the departures, network with them when soldiers are in Iraq and assist them when the soldiers return.

"I feel upset when I heard the news but hope with time I will overcome the sadness," said Lisette Hernandez, wife of Sgt. Carlos Lazo, a Lynnwood medic.

"This first time was the hardest year of my life. There were days when I felt depressed and I could't get out of bed. At the same time, I felt very proud of what he was doing."

Lazo, who turns 43 today, came to America from Cuba in 1991. In civilian life he works for the state Department of Social and Health Services. During his previous tour in Iraq, he took part in the 2004 battle of Fallujah, helping to evacuate the dead and wounded as U.S. forces struggled to take control of the city.

"I am going to be missing my family, and everyone is going to be going through that," said Lazo. "But I feel proud to serve the country that welcomed me 17 years ago, and my company, which is like a family."

The Seattle-based 81st Brigade, the largest in the state, was formed in 1968. It draws from a wide range of civilians, including students, police officers, hospital workers, teachers and business people.

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com