SNOHOMISH – Anne Redington’s eyes shine when she talks about her son, Danny, who was too busy to attend his own award ceremony.
The Army National Guard honored about 100 Snohomish County Guardsmen of the 81st Brigade on Sunday with its Freedom Salute Campaign, giving encased flags, certificates, coins and other tokens to soldiers, their families and employers. The Guard held ceremonies in Everett and Snohomish.
The ceremony honors Guardsmen who’ve served at home, abroad or both. Redington’s 23-year-old son returned from Iraq last spring, but volunteered for deployment last month in New Orleans.
Sitting next to her husband, Redington clutched her son’s awards during the ceremony.
“It’s very hard, but I’m proud of him,” she said after the Snohomish ceremony for the 898th Engineer Battalion. “If I can handle Iraq, I can handle this. We just hope they all get home safely and soon.”
Soldiers wearing desert camouflage nearly filled the Snohomish High School auditorium, many with their spouses, families and children. They walked across the stage one at a time to receive their awards, bringing their families up with them. An energized “hu-a” cheer erupted as one soldier, Spc. Andrew Sunagel, was awarded the Army Achievement Medal.
Staff Sgt. Ray Smith said soldiers aren’t the only ones who make sacrifices in times of war. Families must cope with losing loved ones, and business owners must make ends meet when they lose employees.
Smith, 39, said the Freedom Salute is a good way for troops to thank their supporters.
“I think this was really important for the community to have this,” he said.
Margaret Davison, 63, drove from Toppenish to honor her son, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Davison. She said the Freedom Salute serves as a “psychological closure” for many Guardsmen.
The Davison family also received an award, a bronze minuteman statue, for raising thousands of dollars to place six satellite phones at different bases in Iraq. After the ceremony, Margaret Davison’s eyes welled with tears as she clutched the small statue.
“We thought it was just coming here for the soldiers, and then they turn around, and the soldiers are still giving gifts,” she said.
At the ceremony in Everett, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., spoke to soldiers of the 898th Engineer Battalion. She thanked them for their service, but also acknowledged how difficult it must be to get back to their civilian lives.
“By being here today, you’re showing these brave men and women how much we care about them,” Murray told the audience. “You’re letting them know that their sacrifices will not be forgotten and will never be taken for granted.”
The soldiers were thankful for the show of support.
“It’s just nice to see how many people actually support everyone,” said Spc. Eric White, a 21-year-old Mountlake Terrace resident, after the Snohomish ceremony. “All I hear on the radio is why this, why are we here, what are we still doing in Iraq.
“It makes a statement over everything.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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