Guard gets a Ventura sendoff

Friday, January 19, 2001

By Josh Freed

The Post-Bulletin 

National Guard soldiers exchanged tearful hugs with their family members this morning as they prepared to leave Rochester for duty in the Persian Gulf.

They got a send-off from Gov. Jesse Ventura, who told them to look on the positive side of things to keep their minds off the loneliness of overseas duty. To the troops headed to the desert countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Ventura said, "You'll get the jump on everyone on suntans."

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Ventura wore a Minnesota National Guard leather jacket, and chewed an unlit cigar before and after his four-minute speech to the troops. After the speech, which ended at 11 a.m., Ventura was whisked off to do his "Lunch with the Governor" radio show, which was scheduled to begin at 11. First lady Terry Ventura stayed to shake hands with soldiers as they spent their last half-hour with their families before leaving for what is expected to be a five-month stint.

Today's deployment from the National Guard armory in Rochester included 102 soldiers from all over Minnesota. It's the largest state National Guard deployment since they were called up Jan. 17, 1991, to go to the Persian Gulf War.

Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, told the families to make sure they write lots of letters to the men being sent overseas.

"Nothing is more important when you're deployed overseas" than letters from home, Ventura told them. Ventura saw overseas duty during the Vietnam War.

He flew to Rochester this morning on a National Guard C-130 transport plane. He said he'd taken off in that type of plane about six times before, but never landed in one. He said he had always exited by parachute.

The troops are members of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry and they're based in Guard units around Minnesota. They've been training for this mission for about a year and they're expected to spend about five months in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia guarding buildings and air runways.

They will replace troops from Iowa and Illinois supporting "no-fly" zones in Iraq. The Minnesota troops' first stop is Wisconsin, where they'll get more details on where they'll be stationed.

Many of the troop members have never been on active duty, and only five have ever been to Saudi Arabia.

One of those few with experience was 1st Lt. Darrin Janisch of St. Michael, Minn. Janisch saw combat as a member of the 82nd Airborne during the Persian Gulf War. He said this departure is a little easier than leaving 10 years ago, when the only word his family got was a 10:30 p.m. phone call to his parents. As for the details of where he was going, his parents "found out on CNN," Janisch said.

Specialist Arthur Hudson of Rochester said he was eager to begin his duty overseas, even though it means leaving behind his pregnant wife, Kate, and daughter Marquia, 8. "It's our job," he said. "It's what we signed up for."