Saying Goodbye

Katie Smith, right, 11, cries as she joins her brothers Devin, 13, and Dylan, 11, in a group hug with their dad, Arkansas Army National Guard Battery A, 2nd Battalion, of the 142nd Fires Brigade Specialist Johnny F. Smith as they see him off Sunday morning in Van Buren at the Alpha Battery 2-142d Field Artillery. "It's just a hard day for everybody today," said Specialist Smith's mother Linda Smith. Specialist Smith joined 125 soldiers headed out of Van Buren to meet up with their headquarters unit at Camp Shelby, Miss. for their initial mobilization training prior to heading to Iraq in the fall. The 1st Battalion has two batteries in Iraq just outside of Baghdad, and one outside Kosovo. Come the fall the 142nd will have a total of 700 troops from Northwest Arkansas stationed overseas.
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