By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
The military buildup is reaching Snohomish County offices and homes, as people and organizations face the possible departure of military reservists to help in the nation’s war preparations.
The first call-up for a Washington-based military reserve unit arrived Friday. More than 50 members of an Air Force Reserve unit, the 446th Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, were called into action by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
It’s part of a massive troop mobilization around the country, as the military girds for the fight against terrorists connected to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Reserve officials weren’t able to say Friday if any members of the airlift unit live in Snohomish County, and their destination wasn’t disclosed.
But some area reservists have already been pulled from their regular jobs, and a number of local government agencies are trying to figure out what to do if a part of their staff suddenly has to leave.
"If they choose to call up everybody we have, that could have a real affect on us," said Willie Daigle, a spokesman for the Monroe Correctional Complex, the state prison on the outskirts of Monroe.
Two correctional officers there have already departed, and another 40 people are in the reserve and could be called up, Daigle said. The facility has about 500 officers and 700 other workers.
Police and fire departments are facing similar situations, he said.
"I think a lot of people are looking at contingency plans," he said.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has already seen four deputies leave for the reserves, and as many as six others are candidates for being called up, said spokesman Jan Jorgensen.
On top of the Air Force, some Navy reservists also are being called to duty, said Commander John Croce, chief staff officer for the naval reserve operation in the Northwest. At this point, roughly 40 people have been called up to help support naval facilities on shore, he said.
"The messages are coming in as we speak, so we’re expecting that (number) to grow," he said.
Boeing officials on Friday could not say how many employees are reservists and likely candidates for a call-up. But Boeing spokesman Bob Jorgensen said the company’s close involvement with the military in defense contracting carries over to strong support for the reservists at the company.
"When you are the second-largest defense contractor in the United States, you obviously are committed to the military strategy and tactics of the U.S. government," he said.
Boeing’s two largest unions are urging the company to consider the number of reservists being called to duty and use that as a buffer against announced layoffs.
"It doesn’t look like that would be a fantastic number of people, but it’s a few hundred," said Bill Dugovich, the spokesman for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
The Air Force Reserve call-up from McChord is part of a much larger buildup. The troops, which specialize in providing security at bases and on aircraft, are part of more than 5,000 Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members already activated, according to the Pentagon. The Defense Department has said up to 35,000 reservists could be called up.
Around the nation, troops were swinging into action.
Military police from Fort Lewis near Tacoma were being sent to military installations on the East Coast.
Air refueling tankers took off from Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, and deployment orders went to North Dakota’s two air bases, at Minot and Grand Forks. Fighter jets and 100 members of the Air National Guard were called up at Buckley Air Force Base outside Denver.
Troops dressed in desert fatigues waved and gave thumbs-up signs to reporters as they boarded planes at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. They weren’t going to find out their destination until they were airborne, but that didn’t faze them.
"They’re standing tall and ready to rock," said Col. Kip Self, a commander with the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command at McGuire. "Morale is sky-high."
Air Force bases in at least nine states have been called up for the deployment set in motion after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
The Air Force has been ordered to dispatch more than 100 fighter jets, B-1 and B-52 bombers, and tankers to the Persian Gulf.
Capt. J. Daniel Cooper of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., said Friday that the 2nd Bomb Wing — regular service — and the 917th Wing — reservists — have received deployment orders. He would not say how many people or planes would be sent, or to what locations. With 63 B-52s, Barksdale has the nation’s largest fleet of the bombers.
At Camp LeJeune, N.C., more than 2,000 Marines shipped out for a long-planned tour of the Mediterranean that could turn into a mission against terrorists.
"If Marines are called upon in the Mediterranean, we would be the first to go," said Col. Andrew Frick, commander of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. "We are the point on the spear."
The Marines said goodbye to loved ones, then loaded bulging duffel bags, helmets and rifles onto buses and helicopters for a trip to the docks. Among them was Staff Sgt. Reuben Long of Danville, Iowa, who said goodbye to his 16-month-old daughter, Madison, outside a barracks.
"I love you," he whispered repeatedly, kissing the baby’s face as his wife, Heather, watched. Then he grabbed his M-16 rifle and pack and jumped aboard a bus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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