Pa. Students Learn 'Intelligent Design'

Agnes Hopkins

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@leader.net
 Tuesday, January 18, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





CAMP DOHA, KUWAIT - The trip home for soldiers of Alpha Battery of the
109th Field Artillery is measured in days rather than miles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The more than 100-man unit based in Wilkes-Barre is tentatively scheduled
to leave in early February after a year serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Soldiers from Delta Battery, 2nd Battalion, 180th Field Artillery of the
Arizona National Guard will take over for the 109th. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The flight home could be as soon as Feb. 8, said Capt. Craig Bondra, unit
commander. The soldiers will undergo additional processing at Fort Dix, N.J.,
where they trained for their overseas mission. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Alpha's sister unit, Bravo Battery, is scheduled to leave as early as next
week for Fort Dix. The unit has been stationed in Iraq for most of its
mission. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's been a long year, a busy year,'' said Bondra. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The remaining days here for the unit will be spent wrapping up its mission,
training the replacements and waiting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We finally got a flight for the Arizona guys,'' said Bondra. A platoon
left on a drizzly Monday morning to replace the 109th soldiers who spent six
months in Qatar. The 109th soldiers should return from Qatar in about 10 days. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Arizona National Guardsmen have been riding along with the 109th soldiers
to learn the duties of convoy escort, one of the tasks of the unit in Kuwait. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bondra expressed some satisfaction in training fellow artillery men or
``red legs'' as they are known in the military. ``We're trying to set these
guys up for success.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The training has been going smoothly and should be done quicker than the
allotted 10 days. ``We're doing it to the standard, not a set time,'' said
Bondra. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The less time spent training gives the 109th more time to wait on post
though. Soldiers spent a rainy Monday afternoon moving from one building
across the street to another. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some went from a spacious, converted warehouse where they slept on cots to
one lined with bunkbeds with mattresses. The move - pegged by many soldiers as
their 14th or 15th - forced them to break down their living areas they had
personalized with small appliances, tables and storage cabinets and carry them
through puddles to their latest address. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Others from the battery are in another building elsewhere on the base. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I can't wait to go home already,'' said Spc. Will Eppley of Larksville.
``I didn't think the replacements would ever get here.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The convoy escorts are almost completely handled by the 180th with only one
soldier of the 109th going along in a ``right-seat ride'' supervisory role. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They picked it up real quick,'' said Sgt. Kevin Clocker of Kingston.
Artillery is a ``team game,'' he added. ``This is also a team game here.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clocker looked forward to returning to the Wyoming Valley to be with his
wife and children, even though he's been back on leave and emergency leave. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The next plane I get on is taking me home,'' said Clocker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last year's leave had been a ``tease'' for Spc. Sean Lehman of Plains
Township. He saw family and friends and looks forward to a much longer stay
once Feb. 8 comes around, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``That'll be one year in country,'' said Lehman, and the date the unit
expects to go home. ``It's been a while.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With most of the hard work completed Spc. Randy Wagner of Quakertown
planned to ship home two foot lockers and three boxes of souvenirs and
assorted clothing and items he's accumulated in his travels to other camps and
Qatar. His platoon arrived back in Kuwait in August, moved north in October to
Camp Buehring, stayed there until December and have been at Camp Doha for
about a month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``To me this is the easier part,'' said Wagner of the preparing for
redeployment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/S. JOHN WILKIN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spc. Randy Wagner of Quakertown packs up his belongings while he and other
members of the 109th Alpha Battery move to another warehouse at Camp Doha in
Kuwait on Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTOS/S. JOHN WILKIN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spc. Will Eppley of Larksville prepares to hand over one of the 109th Field
Artillery, Alpha Battery's vehicles Sunday to the unit that is replacing the
unit at Camp Doha, in Kuwait. `I can't wait to go home already,' Eppley said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spc. Sean Lehman of Plains Township plays his guitar in the warehouse he
calls home with other members of the 109th Field Artillery, Alpha Battery at
Camp Doha, in Kuwait. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alpha Counting The Days The Flight Home For 100-plus Troops In The 109th Could Come As Early As Feb. 8. Until Then, They'll Help Train Replacements.