Leaving their families and full-time jobs behind, about six hundred members of the Connecticut National Guard are heading to the Horn of Africa. At dusk on Wednesday, wearing camouflage uniforms and masks, they packed onto a National Airlines charter jet at the Air National Guard base in East Granby.
They'll be joining fellow Americans and allied forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-- the ongoing war on international terrorism.
Lt. Eleanor Baranofsky is originally from Seattle, but relocated to Connecticut with her husband, who serves in the Navy here. She volunteered for this mission, and says it's great that her husband has an inside understanding of the challenges presented by deployment.
"I came to him last summer and said, 'Hey, there's this opportunity,'" says Baranofsky, "'but it means I have to leave again.' And I'd already left on another deployment, and he's had his deployments, and thankfully he's been really supportive."
For Capt. Joseph Stoute, who has served in Afghanistan, leaving family is really tough. He has five children, ages 8 through 17. He says the teenagers understand why he's leaving, but, "the eight-year-old took it the toughest. The others, they were older for the other deployment as well. I told him Daddy would be back."
There are pets to consider as well. Lt. Baranofsky says she'll miss her two dogs.
Operation Enduring Freedom began in the fall of 2001, after the 9-11 attacks. The U.S. and allies continue to fight international terrorism beyond the war's original site, Afghanistan. The Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia is one area of concern, in part due to it's proximity to Yemen, where there's an ongoing civil war.
The group will spend a few weeks in Texas before the overseas trek.
