Members of the 991st U.S. Army Reserves Transportation Co. are spending the holidays deployed in Iraq.

By Steve Huffman

shuffman@salisburypost.com

Members of the 991st U.S. Army Reserves Transportation Co. have something they want to say to their loved ones:

"Happy Thanksgiving."

"I want to thank my friends, family and the community for their support," said Sgt. 1st Class Michelle Tate. "I miss them all."

Tate and about 170 other members of the 991st, which is based out of the Reserve Center on Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury, are in the midst of their second deployment to Iraq.

Many members of the 991st come from Rowan and surrounding counties, but others come from as far away as Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.

They're stationed at Camp Taji, which is about 15 miles north of Baghdad.

Tate and 1st Sgt. Lamando Parker, another member of the 991st, placed a phone call Wednesday afternoon to the Salisbury Post's newsroom.

They each had similar things to say about their deployment:

Life in Iraq isn't all bad and members of the 991st are proud of the work they're doing, they said. But they'd much rather be at home.

"We're staying very busy," said Tate, who works in the patient access department of Rowan Regional Medical Center when she's not serving the military. "We run convoys and missions. We take a great deal of pride in the job we're doing."

Tate, 37, is single. She lives in Cabarrus County, though she's a Salisbury native, having graduated from Salisbury High School.

Her father, Preston Jones, still lives in Salisbury as do numerous brothers, sisters, aunts and cousins.

Jones has been a member of the Army Reserves for 19 years. She and other members of the 991st were returned to Iraq in July. Their first deployment there ended in April 2004.

The 991st is a transportation company, involved in the ongoing support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Company members are capable of moving just about anything the Army throws at them.

Tate said she and her fellow soldiers work hard, but are also capable of kicking back and enjoying themselves.

They'll be doing that today, she said, treated to turkey and all the accompanying treats that make up a Thanksgiving feast.

The only difference, Tate said, is that the celebration will take place in Iraq, thousands of miles from home.

"Our fellow soldiers, now, they're our family and friends," Tate said. "They've become sort of a second family. I've made bonds that will last me a lifetime."

Asked what it was she was happy for, Tate had a simple reply.

"I'm just happy to be alive and healthy," she said. "We're going to make today like a Thanksgiving in the states."

Parker, 39, the other member of the 991st to call the Post Wednesday, is a supervisor at Freightliner in Cleveland. He's also served in the military 19 years.

Parker and his wife, Leslie, have three children: Tyson, 21, Jasmine, 19, and Bryson, 18.

This is Parker's third deployment to Iraq, though it marks the first time he went as a member of the 991st. His first two deployments were as a member of the 846th Transportation Co., the sister company of the 991st which is also based in Salisbury.

Like Tate, Parker said he and his fellow soldiers are proud of the work they do in protecting their nation.

"The morale here is real high," Parker said. "We're dedicated to the job we signed on to do."

He said that while members of the 991st don't expect to return home as a company until next September, individual members are at times given breaks of two weeks during which they return to the United States.

Parker said he speaks with his wife almost daily via either phone or through e-mail.

"A soldier here doesn't have a lot of trouble getting to a phone," he said.

Parker said he misses the chance to watch some of his favorite television programs, but said the Army strives to make life in Iraq similar to life in the United States.

There are fast-food restaurants and the Internet that soldiers have access to, Parker said. There are recreational activities that keep soldier busy.

"I read the Salisbury Post almost daily online," he said. "I'm trying to keep up with my community."

Parker and his family live in Salisbury.

He said the weather in Iraq has turned much cooler than it was this past summer, with daytime highs now not climbing much out of the 70s. That might seem downright balmy to those in North Carolina, Parker admitted, but it doesn't begin to compare to Iraq's summertime highs that can push 150 degrees.

Parker said Army cooks bend over backwards to make holiday meals something memorable, and said he was sure today's Thanksgiving offering will follow suit.

"They go all out on the holidays," Parker said.

He said the message he and fellow members of the 991st would like to convey to their loved ones is simple.

"Tell the people of Salisbury we're thankful for their support," Parker said. "Tell them we're looking forward to coming home."

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