BY DALE ELLIS

Managing Editor

In an abbreviated drill weekend, members of the National Guard unit Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry (Gunslingers), mingled with families against a backdrop of a huge Christmas dinner and an awards ceremony.

Major Cary Shillcut, the administrative officer for the battalion, said that Guard tradition is to bring families together twice-yearly for briefings and to enhance unit cohesiveness.

"It's a reminder that we appreciate the families, but we are a mobilization unit," he said. "In the even of mobilization, we have a family support group."

This year, he said, the December gathering is the first since the unit returned from active duty on a six-month peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Region of Egypt.

The unit observed the official retirement of its chaplain, Major David Tews, after almost 21 years of service in the Guard. Tews, who turned 60 years old recently, was compelled to retire due to a mandatory age requirement, but had extended through the unit's deployment.

While the unit was overseas, Tews worked back in Arkansas, attending family support group meetings and counseling families as they made the adjustment to the deployment.

"I stayed pretty busy," Tews said. "I was working family support groups for nine armories. I stayed on the road a lot."

Tews was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Arkansas Distinguished Service Medal, a Presidential Certificate of Appreciation, Chief of Chaplains Certificate, State Certificate of Appreciation, National Guard Bureau Certificate of Appreciation, and an Army Lapel Button.

Tews' wife was awarded a Spouse Certificate of Appreciation for her support of her husband during his duties.

"I'm glad to have him back. The last few months were not just weekends," Kathy Tews said. Then she laughed and added, "He's working really hard at home now. The 'honey-do' list is 20 years long."

"I'm overwhelmed," Chaplain Tews told the Gunslingers and their families after he received his awards, several of which were presented by Brigadier General Ron Chastain.

"I appreciate working with you," Tews continued. "One of the dreams of a chaplain is to finish at the battalion level in the field."

After his brief remarks, Tews and his wife took their seats amid a standing ovation from the troops.

In addition, Meritorious Service Medals were presented to Captain Greg Pelts, Captain Sean Gavan, Major Cary Shillcut, and Lieutenant Chad Bridges, for service during the deployment.

Major Clay Young received a plaque of appreciation prepared by the unit, and Command Sergeant Major Larry Nowlin was present with the brigade trademark, a specially made and numbered Bowie knife.

Approximately 30 awards were given out earlier during first formation, Shillcut said.

"Those were mainly service awards to various troops, but they wanted to do that in the morning rather than stretch out the service before dinner," Shillcut said.

After the presentations, Christmas dinner was brought out, which consisted of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and several desserts.

Families and soldiers mingled and renewed friendships that were formed during the deployment.

Liz Hellman, the wife of Sergeant Greg Hellman, said that she had formed several friendships during the deployment that she said were more durable than the acquaintances she had formed previously.

"There was a lot of support for the families while the men were gone," she said. "I formed some very close friendships. Before, I had gotten to know some of the other wives, but we were put into a situation where we needed to depend upon one another."

Liz Hellman said the deployment, which was the first for her husband during his 21-year career with the National Guard, changed her perception of the Guard.

"It did, but it wasn't a bad thing," she said. "It made me appreciate the National Guard more knowing that the nation depended on them. It made me proud. I was sad, but I knew that he was with guys he had been with for 20 years."

Hellman's 14-year-old son, Adam, said that he was sad over the separation, but that he, too, made friends he might not otherwise have made through various activities and get-togethers.

"If he has to do it again," Liz Hellman said, "then we've got friends we can depend on."

Greg Hellman, who had extensive dental work performed so that he would be medically fit to deploy, said that his perception of the Guard had also changed.

The realization that deployment is an ever-present possibility is now part of the job, he said.

"That's not a negative," he said, "that's just part of the job. The Guard's been good to me. I wouldn't change a thing. If I had to do it all back over again, I'd do the same thing."

Hellman said that he has entertained no thoughts of leaving the Guard.

"In fact, I'm extending for six more years today," he said.

Captain Jody Callahan, the company commandant, said that the changing role of the National Guard had created some concerns during the deployment that many soldiers would leave once their terms of enlistment ended.

"I don't know how widespread that concern was," he said, "I know I just heard some talk. Since the return, however, I do know that any fears of that have proven groundless."

Callahan said the enhanced brigade concept that HHC 2-153 is a part of has been evolving for some time as active duty military components have been scaled back.

"It used to be that the Reserve mimicked the Regular Army and the Guard mimicked the Reserve," he said. "But a few years ago, the Reserve lost 99.9 percent of its combat arms assets and moved into a primarily support role. I'm told they have one battalion left."

Callahan said the enhanced brigade concept pairs National Guard troops with regular army training and a higher mobilization capability.

The Seventh Division is made up of National Guard troops from Arkansas, Oregon, and Oklahoma.

He said the new concept under which the Guard operates is actually an old concept with a new name and some more advanced capabilities than in years past.

"There were Guard troops in Vietnam, in Korea, and even in World War II," Callahan noted. "What the enhanced brigade status allows us to do is to train up at an accelerated rate when were are called. We do that by maintaining a higher state of readiness through more advanced training. We can train faster because we require less training overall. We've already got it."

The captain said he has seen a renewed sense of purpose in the unit since its return from Egypt, and the troops seem more focused, always aware that a repeat performance could be in the offing in a rapidly changing world situation.

"The unit is a lot more cohesive," he said. "We've shared a common experience that a lot of Guardsmen don't get to share."