Sgt. Waters and his Alpha Co.

Sgt. Tim Waters leads a squad of six Washington National Guard soldiers with Alpha Co., 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry of the 81st Brigade Combat Team. Like the Guard as a whole, these citizen-soldiers come from a wide range of backgrounds:

Sgt. Tim Waters

Age: 37

Hometown: East Wenatchee

Civilian job: Starbucks district manager

Previous deployment: Served in Iraq with 81st Brigade in 2004-05.

Sgt. Lukas Maltsberger

Age: 27

Hometown: Tukwila

Civilian life: Planning to go to school to become a masseur.

Deployments: Served seven years in active-duty Army, including two tours of duty in Iraq totaling 28 months. Last returned from Iraq in December 2006. Joined National Guard to fulfill final year of eight-year military-service commitment.

Spc. John Leboissiere

Age: 25

Hometown: Everett

Civilian job: Apprentice electrician

Deployments: Served two tours of duty in Iraq with Marine Corps. Joined National Guard to fulfill eight-year service commitment.

Spc. Christopher Lloyd

Age: 27

Hometown: Puyallup

Civilian job: Tow-truck driver

Deployments: This will be his first.

Spc. Tino Liulevaega

Age: 29

Hometown: Parkland, Pierce County

Civilian job: Weighs grain at Tacoma-area elevator

Deployment to Iraq: This will be his first.

Spc. Chris Tallada

Age: 26

Hometown: Fife

Civilian job: Comcast technician

Past deployments: Served in Iraq with 81st Brigade during 2004-05.

Spc. Brandon Gowan

Age: 23

Civilian job: Works at Darigold plant that produces cheese and whey in Sunnyside, Yakima County

Past deployments: Served in Iraq with active-duty Stryker Brigade. Joined National Guard to fulfill eight-year service commitment.

— Hal Bernton, Seattle Times staff reporter