Dinner held for Guardsmen who'll soon be deployed
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

COURTESTY OF GEORGE J YUSKO For some of the 130 soldiers of Charlie Company, 113th Infantry, Battalion Light Regiment of the U.S. Army National Guard, it will be their first mission in a combat zone when they are mobilized for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan by the end of the summer. Woodbridge Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 4410 and Fords VFW Post No. 6090 held a holiday and deployment dinner for the soldiers at Woodbridge Elks Lodge No. 2116 on Jan. 26.

WOODBRIDGE - For some of the 130 soldiers of Charlie Company, 113th Infantry Battalion Light Regiment of the U.S.Army NationalGuard, itwill be their firstmission in a combat zone.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine andMaj.Gen.Glenn Rieth, the state adjutant general, announced in October 2007 that 6,200 troops of the Army National Guard, including the 130 troops of the 113th Infantry, would be mobilized for duty in Iraq orAfghanistan by the end of the summer.

The deployment is the largest deployment for New Jersey sinceWorldWar II.

Capt. Nicholas Calenicoff, 35, of West Orange, the leader of the 113th Infantry, which is based at the Woodbridge National Guard Armory on Main Street, said the most important thing as a leader of his company is to make sure that the 130 soldiers including himself are "100 percent certified and trained to be in a combat zone."

COURTESTY OF GEORGE J YUSKO Capt. Nicholas Calenicoff, 35, (l) of Charlie Company, 113th Infantry Battalion, Light Regiment of the U.S. Army National Guard, stands with Don Walz, commander of Woodbridge VFW Post No. 4410, Chris Bober, commander of Avenel VFW Memorial Post No. 7164, and Mike Daley, vice commander of Fords VFW Post No. 6090.

"I have already made promises to family members … yes, there are going to be hazards and things may happen, but these soldiers will be 100 percent trained to be in a combat zone," said Calenicoff, who has been with the National Guard since 1999.

Calenicoff served in theU.S.Army as an active duty soldier for two years before joining the New Jersey National Guard.

The U.S.Army ismade up of three components: the active (regular Army) component, and the two reserve components - theArmyNational Guard and theArmy Reserve.

Both reserve components, known as the BattleAssembly, are primarily composed of part-time soldiers who train once a month and conduct two to three weeks of training each year.

"We [as theNewJerseyNational Guard] have two differentmissions, on a state level aswell as on a federal level," said Calenicoff. "On the state level, we respond immediately toGov.Corzine…wewere sent to secure the bridges and tunnels in Jersey City after 9/11 and we were sent to help during Hurricane Katrina."

The Woodbridge Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4410 and the Fords VFW Post 6090 held a holiday and deployment dinner for the company at Woodbridge Elks Lodge 2116 on Jan. 26.

"We work very close with the National Guard," said Don Walz, commander of the WoodbridgeVFWPost. "Our post alongwith the Fords VFWadopted the 113th Infantry a year and a half ago.We take care of them. If they need anything, we work to make sure we can get what they need."

Over 50 soldiers and their families were joined byWalz,MikeDaley, vice commander of the Fords VFW, who attended the dinner in place of Cmdr. Steven Fodor, Chris Bober, commander of the Avenel VFW Memorial Post 7164, and JohnHales of the FamilyAssistance Center in Morristown and Somerset, at the dinner, enjoying baked ziti, sausage and peppers, salads, and an assortment of delimeats.

The captain presented plaques to honor theWoodbridge and Fords VFWs.

"We really appreciate the dinner and everything that the veterans of the Woodbridge and Fords VFWs do for us," said Calenicoff. "When they were soldiers in the Korean andVietnamwars, they did not have as much support as we get today. Unfortunately, we couldn't have all the soldiers here today because some are onmissions."

Calenicoff also presented a plaque to Jeff Zirpolo, owner of The Club at Woodbridge, for allowing the soldiers to use his facilities to help themkeep up their physical fitness.

Mayor John E. McCormac, council President and Ward 2 Councilman Richard Dalina,Ward 1 Councilman Charles Kenny, Councilman JamesCarroll, andCouncilman Gregg Ficarra stopped by the dinner to offer their thanks and best wishes.

Walz, 75,who served as aU.S.Army combat medic during the KoreanWar, said that over the holiday season, they worked with theU.S.MarineCorps'Toys for Tots program to deliver 20 to 30 bags of toys to families of the 113th Infantry.

The veteran said the VFWwould act like a microcosm city for the families when their loved ones are overseas.

"Since the men will be away during the summer months, we have people who will help their families cut the grass, help with plumbing, helpwith painting,we have a food pantry … anything that families may need, just so the guys won't have to worry about their families when they are away," he said.

Walz said working with the National Guard is not only a benefit to the soldiers, but to the veterans as well.

"We are not a bunch of veterans who drink beer telling war stories to have a good time," saidWalz. "We [theVFWs and theNational Guard] support each other … they march in our parades and we support them asmuch as we can."

Walz added that the mayor and council have been very supportive of the veterans and themilitary.

Calenicoff said hismen have a lot ofwork to do leading up to their deployment, making the transition from training 20 to 42 hours amonth as a reserve to being in a combat zone 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Sgt. Paul Stengele, 25, said he was "confident, but a little nervous" about being deployed to Iraq.

"Minus the fact that you are going to be away from home, [serving in Iraq] is something that has to be done," said Stengele,who said he plans to stay in the National Guard. "But there's nothing sweeter than when you land onAmerican soil."

Stengele, ofNeptune City, enlisted in the NationalGuard a little over seven years ago.

"I always wanted to go into themilitary," he said. "Iwas in the JuniorReserveOfficers' Training Corps [ROTC] in high school and applied for an ROTC scholarship for college. When I didn't get the scholarship, I enlisted in the National Guard right after 9/11."

The 25-year-old said he chose the U.S. ArmyNationalGuard rather than other sectors of themilitary because of the simple fact that he gets seasick.

"That cut out the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard," he said.

Stengele saidwhen he enlisted in theNationalGuard, he knewthat the 113th Infantry would be deployed at some point.

"It was rumored at the time that we would be deployed to either Bosnia or Kosovo," he said. "Wewere sent to secure the bridges and tunnels in Jersey City in 2001 and were deployed to Guantanamo Bay [Cuba] in 2004 for a year."

Staff Sgt.David Thurston, 38, ofKennett Square, Pa., who has served in the National Guard since 1997, said he has seen on television a lot of howthe daily life of a soldier in Iraq andAfghanistan has been like.

"I'm proud to do my part and I know it's important that I take my turn," said Thurston, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1987 to 1991. "I took a break to go to school after serving in the Air Force, and that'swhen Imetmywife. Servingmy country was part of my being as a person … at that time, I could not commit full time in the military, and that's when I decided to commit to the National Guard."

Thurston,who has beenwith the 113th Infantry since 2001, said he's also interested to see Iraq and its culture.

Unlike his fellow soldiers, Spec. Joseph DeAntonio, 25, will be deployed to a combat zone for a second time.

DeAntonio served in the regular Army from Oct. 11, 2001, to October 2005, which included a one-year stint in Afghanistan in 2004.

"It was glorious," DeAntonio said with a laugh,which touched on sarcasm. "Itwas the worst place that I have ever seen in my life. But there were good people in the country, and that iswhywewanted to see the fruition of our job there…there was some beauty in themountainous country- and I say 'some' lightly."

On why he joined the National Guard, DeAntonio said he "missed theArmy."

"It's important to share my experiences and knowledge," he said. "Whatever rank one may be, whether a private or the sergeant major of the army, it's important to pass on knowledge that one may have, to make others be the best they can be."

DeAntonio traveled with 23 others from his company to a NATO training mission in October 2007.

"We taught and learned different techniques andmaneuvers," he said. "Therewere soldiers fromabout 23 other countries there. It was a good experience."

On his first time in Iraq, DeAntonio said he was "nervous."

"This is the first time that Iwould have a leadership role [over three soldiers]," he said. "It's important that I make sure that everyone has the best training as possible … I knowthis is not the best job in theworld, and we know well enough that things may happen, but if I knowthat everyone was trained and everyone does their job, everyonewill be safe. For the families and spouses of the soldiers, the news of the deployment was hard, but they understand.

"I know they're fighting for our country," said Tanya Cabrera, who is Calenicoff's fiancée. "If not for them,who is going to do it?"

However, Cabrera said the hardest part of the deployment is thinking about their 1- year-old son, Nicholas Jr.

"It's going to be hard … he's calling his [Nicholas Sr.'s] name more than mine," said Cabrera, wiping away tears