A member of Company E of Hamlet’s 1/120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the N.C. National Guard, he is stationed with his unit at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad.
Before leaving Iraq July 11, Lunceford just returned from instruction classes on the operation of a new truck with a V-shaped hull to deflect blasts from roadside bombs. It also has special padding to absorb shocks.
So far on missions leading convoys, he said they have not encountered any bombs.
Lunceford arrived stateside with Tony Cobbler and Douglas Knotts, both also from his unit. He will be returning Wednesday and will remain in the Middle East until the entire brigade returns in 2010.
They traveled to Atlanta, Ga., by military plane and civilian plane from there to Fayetteville. He said 10 to 15 soldiers at a time are able to be on leave from the company. Shorter leaves are possible for locations in Europe and the Middle East.
New equipment
When he returns, Lunceford will be training others in his unit on the operation of the new trucks. “They are better built for protection from mines,” he said.
While on the road, he said they have the latest in equipment including a robot they send out to inspect suspicious sites.
There are also trucks with arms that extend out 20 feet from the vehicle to search for bombs, or detect metals in the ground.
On his first tour of duty in Iraq in 2005, Lunceford was driving a flatbed truck when it was damaged by a roadside bomb. He was not injured, but the truck was damaged.
Except for actually being home, he said while there are no luxuries in Iraq, they have a variety of good food to eat, hot showers, a base laundry, air-conditioned barracks and trucks, a gymnasium, baseball field and basketball court. Men have either individual rooms or share with a roommate.
With a five to six-day work week with days that can extend to 12 hours or more on 100 kilometer trips delivering logistic supplies, he said he doesn’t have much time for recreation.
But, there is time for communicating with home through the AT&T Calling Center, Web sites and the Internet. “We have to pay for it,” he said.
Fourth of July
“We received the grill and barbecue items from Second Baptist Church in Hamlet for the Fourth of July,” Lunceford said, “and got meat from the mess hall for our holiday cookout.”
Some soldiers have received video gaming machines and games to pass the time. “I get snacks from home,” Lunceford said.
When they receive packages from home, soldiers share the contents when they can with each other, he said.
Since June 30, the soldiers no longer enter the cities in Iraq, leaving them to the Iraqi police.
Out of cities
Lunceford said his only interaction with Iraqi soldiers will be to also train them on the use of the new trucks.
His mother, Valeria Lunceford, said she was glad he was home. “We appreciate all that the community has done for the soldiers and their families,” she said. She is an active member of the Co. E Family Support Group.
Before his activation for duty in Iraq, Lunceford was a mechanic with Griffin Chrysler in Hamlet and hopes to return to his job.
When it is time, he said he will consider re-enlisting for another six years in the National Guard. He has already served five years. “I hope those years will be spent stateside,” he said.
“We appreciate everyone in Richmond County for their support,” he said, “in remembering all the soldiers.”
n Contact reporter Tom MacCallum at 997-3111, ext. 15; e-mail tmaccallum@yourdailyjournal.com.
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