Good luck to our Guard troops

Inter Lake editorial

They're on their way, so we wish them good luck.

The Montana Army National Guard's 639th Quartermaster Co. has mobilized with the eventual destination of Iraq next month.

The unit composed of Kalispell, Libby and Havre soldiers is scheduled to conduct supply, fueling support and maintenance missions for as many as 18,000 soldiers in the Iraq war.

The soldiers got a warm sendoff from the snowy streets of Kalispell on Sunday. They spent a brief stint in Helena before heading to Fort Lewis, Wash., as a month-long stopover prior to making the long trip to Iraq.

They surely should be in our thoughts and our prayers as they head to a conflict half a world away.

Although a lot of progress has been made in Iraq, it still can be a dangerous place for U.S. soldiers.

It's a place, after all, where more than 4,200 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003. It was in December 2003 that the 639th last deployed to Iraq.

And it wasn't until a long 15 months later that our soldiers returned home from duty.

Let's hope they won't be gone as long this time and that they all return safely as they did before.

We should all remember, too, the families and friends left behind as the 639th members do their duty to their country.

Community support will go a long way to make life easier for families left behind by the men and women called to active service.

For instance, one soldier is leaving behind a husband and four children, ages 1 to 6.

It's already a tough time for many families locally coping with a brutal winter and economic downturn on top of all the other challenges of daily life.

Having a key family leader deployed doesn't make it any easier. But it's that kind of sacrifice that we should appreciate from those who go to war for us.