Reservists headed for Iraq to support troop withdrawal

Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Ruth Nacar stepped off a plane six days ago, landing in Utah for the first time.

The Californian and other Army specialists from around the country have joined a unique Utah unit that ships out for training next week and then a special mission in Iraq: They will be the last to go into Taji, north of Baghdad, in support of combat troops pulling out of the country.

On Wednesday, the unit conducted a casing ceremony on the grounds at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, where the brigade's flag was furled and then covered for its trip to the Middle East.

Nacar will fly back to her home state of California for the holiday weekend and ship out next week with the Utah-based 96th Sustainment Brigade for Foot Hood, Texas. After a couple of months, she and the brigade's 348 other members will be in Iraq, where Nacar already served one tour of duty.

"To tell you the truth," Nacar said, "I wasn't overly enthusiastic to find out I was going back, but I re-enlisted and when you wear this uniform to serve your country, that's what you sign on for. It's my duty."

The unit is a patchwork of talent pieced together by the military in response to what is required for supporting combat troops as the U.S. presence in Iraq winds down.

The 96th was activated last fall and reorganized by the U.S. Army Reserve from a regional readiness command to its current mission.

As combat troops continue to withdraw from Iraq over the course of the next year or so, the occupied area will correspondingly shrink.

In the interim, anything a combat troop requires, such as food, transportation, medical support or mechanical repairs, is supplied by a sustainment brigade like the 96th.

The boundaries will shrink again, and units such as these will provide the necessary support as the process ramps down.

"If you compared it to this area, you can pull all the troops out of Salt Lake City, but you still need support in Murray and the other cities," said Col. C.J. Read, the unit commander, who hails from Layton.

Read was in Iraq two weeks ago inspecting the quarters where the 96th will be stationed.

"We've been planning on it, so it has sort of sunk in," said the commander. "It's what happens when you sign on, but it is a sacrifice. I am sure no one wants to leave their families."

The 96th's deployment will last one year. It is the first for many of the unit's soldiers, including Spc. Daniel Craig, 21, from Twin Falls, Idaho.

He and his wife, Tammy, have been readying for his departure and trying to make the most of the last few days they have together until he returns.