Police department’s public relations officer heads to Iraq this January leading a battalion of 400 men and leaving behind his family.
By Melissa J. Varnavas, Beverly Citizen (Beverly, Mass.)
Ryal Side resident Mark Ray has received his share of accolades, awards and recognition during his 20-plus year career on the Beverly police force. But the one he expected to receive on Wednesday night was different.
On Wednesday, Ray stood as the commander of more than 400 soldiers from the eastern coast of Massachusetts, reaching north to New Hampshire and south to Connecticut - the soldiers of the First 102nd Field Artillery Battalion of the Massachusetts National Guard. There, in Quincy City Hall, where the unit makes its headquarters, Ray and his men were expected to be honored for their courage and commitment even as they prepare to deploy to the Middle East to fight as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.
“I’m proud of our unit. Our mission is an important mission. These are great kids, great people,” says Ray.
Ray, the public relations officer for the city’s police department, spent his last official day on the force Monday, Sept. 27. By mid-October, he and his fellow officers will engage in anti-terrorism training camps and various exercises to prepare them for conflict. By mid-November, the battalion heads to Fort Dix, N.J. where the team continues training for specific missions. Although Ray could not comment on details of the mission, he believes the First 102nd should hit the ground in Iraq around that country’s first projected democratic election in January 2005.
They aren’t expected to return home until April or March of 2006.
Choosing service
It’s a extensive trail to travel from Ray’s front door to the desert sands of Iraq as the commander of more than 400 soldiers.
“There’s a long history to moving up through the ranks,” says Ray. “That’s all there is to it.”
He’s been commander of the First 102nd for the past two years and a member of the military reserves and National Guard for more than 25. He’s been in action in Bosnia in 1996 and 1997 and exudes a sense of strength which, he says, comes from his experience there.
“I worked with military units from all over the world,” he says. “They all said they were impressed with our military, with our professionalism.”
Ray believes the strength of that professionalism stems from it’s base in an all volunteer staff. Despite a successful career on the local police force, Ray continued to volunteer his service to the Guard.
“I’ve made a commitment to the military and to the country,” Ray says, “It may sound... hokey... but it’s a patriotic decision. It’s a professional decision and I believe I’ve gotten a lot out of it.”
He believes that both careers - his military and his day to day life on the Beverly force - have improved not only his capabilities for appropriately handling the tasks assigned him but also in his life overall.
“When you go through it, you don’t think about it, but it really does affect you. It makes you a better person, I think,” says Ray.
Ray is responsible for millions of dollars in equipment and materials, not to mention the lives of those under his command. It’s the lives of those men which motivates him to continue with his military service and accept his mission overseas.
“More than anything, I want to make sure these young soldiers come through this,” he says. “It is important for me to go as a member of my team.”
The duty
Ray had been aware of the National Guard’s mobilization - 100 soldiers from his battalion had volunteered to go earlier this summer. But moving an army isn’t an easy task. It takes time and preparation.
From first notification, the Guard group will go through three stages: First, alert; second, mobilization; third, deployment. Ray and his men are in the mobilization phase. As commander of the troop, Ray has been activated earlier than the rest so he can complete the planning necessary to move 400 men.
The men will be separated into three groups: Rear Area Operations, the Security Force and the Rear Detachment.
Rear Area Operations Center, which Ray calls “re-oc”, consists of 40 soldiers, including Ray, seven majors, seven captains and a number of other senior officers.
“We go into a specific region and coordinate all the operations - security, communication - we make sure the lines are clear,” he explains.
The term, “Rear Area Operations Center,” is a misnomer, Ray says, since in Iraq there is no center of battle, as in previous, conventional wars.
“It is a unique mission,” says Ray.
The Rear Detachment will remain state side. Those 50 to 80 soldiers insure those serving in the Middle East receive the needed materials, supplies and support from home.
The Security Force consists of more than 150 National Guardsmen who’s priority will be to insure supply routes, security for convoys, security for correctional facilities, military bases, possibly even the safety of the Iraqi people.
“We’re an artillery battalion,” Ray explains. “That basically means that we provide artillery support. We shoot cannons in battle. But this is not a conventional war.”
To prepare, hundreds of battalion members and their families gathered at Quincy High School, last week, for a presentation of the U.S. Army’s readiness group. There, they met with guidance councilors who explained how to deal with the mobilization. Soldiers and family members were told what they should expect. Officials offered information on how to take care of health care, how to handle the bills and chores of daily life without the support of their partners. In essence, to help them all come to terms with moving from the civilian world to the world of war which lays before them.
“We’re asking a group of men to move from the civilian world to full time soldiers, away from their families for 12 months... It is a difficult time,” says Ray.
The greatest fear...
“Uncertainty,” says Ray. “The soldiers are confident, I’m confident in our abilities but we just don’t know what impact the terrorist threat will have on our operations. It is the threat that is uncertain in this theatre of suicide bombers and our ability to neutralize that threat” has to be maintained, he says.
Not until Ray speaks of his family does the face of this conflict, and his commitment, become clear.
“When you have little ones, you just think: ‘Where will you be in a year?’ But how can you not fight when you see their faces?” he says.
During his service in Bosnia, however, even a phone call home could prove difficult.
Soldiers were able to use a phone once every two weeks, says Ray. The only other mode of communication was the mail. The mail sometimes didn’t come or it would be weeks before word from home would get through. The phone connection, made through military lines, wove through several countries before landing with an American operator back home. Even then, Ray explains, the line might be lost in mid-sentence.
“It’s important for the men to have contact with their families,” Ray says, “because if things aren’t well at home then the soldiers won’t be focused on the task at hand. This is a 24/7 job. This isn’t civilian work. When you are over there you are on every second of every day. Every bit of connection to home helps.”
This time, Ray believes the communication situation will be much improved. There’s e-mail available and, he’s heard there’s capability for a phone call a day in Iraq, not twice a month like in Bosnia.
“And we’re hoping for Web camera access,” says Ray. “There’s nothing like seeing pictures of your family.”
And, Ray adds, having extended family, friends and neighbors offer assistance and support means the world to the men.
“You have to rely on your friends. They’ll be a great help. It’s times like these you realize how many friends you have,” he says, recalling an impromptu going away party his coworkers from the Beverly Police Department threw for him Sunday, Sept. 26.
“It was great to see all the people that turned out and the kids just running around playing. It was a nice day,” says Ray.
All politics aside
Ray won’t confess, one way or the other, how he’ll cast his vote in November’s presidential election which has been tied so closely to the ongoing conflict in Iraq. To him, it doesn’t matter who is in the White House.
“Of course it becomes political and it will have an impact on the presidential election. But regardless of how you view the war you have to support the troops. Every soldier is going there to protect this country,” he says.
There are many views on the purpose of this war, Ray says, but for the most part everyone has been supportive of him and the daunting task he now faces.
“Our mission is an important mission. We have to conclude it successfully. We can’t leave that country to chaos. It has to be a stable country with a stable government. There is no other answer,” he says.