Stories are in the papers all the time about soldiers being
deployed overseas – of spouses leaving for combat, children going
to war, and cousins and siblings joining up at the same time to
serve together.

But in Port Allegany, there is a father remaining in the service
and taking a third tour in Iraq so that he can serve with his son,
thus leaving a wife without her husband and mother without her
youngest child.

“It’s a little tougher this time, he is the youngest of the
three, and now the grown up boy. You just have to smile through
it,” said Sherrin Mead of her feelings about this deployment where
both her husband, Todd, and son, Ryan, will be shipping out by the
end of the month.

Both soldiers are members of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s C
Company, 1st Battalion, 112 Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker
Brigade. They are headed to Iraq, by way of Fort Dix, N.J.

Staff Sgt. Todd Mead has served the U.S. for 28 1/2 years as an
infantry soldier; including 14 1/2 of those years with the regular
U.S. Army on active duty before joining the Army National Guard. He
has been deployed to Iraq three times, including this current
mission, Operation Iraqi Freedom, leaving his wife of 25 years
behind each time.

The Meads have three grown children. But, one of those three
children, the youngest, is going with his father to war in Iraq.
Making the loss double for Sherrin Mead, who had to wish both of
them well on Friday as they departed for Fort Indiantown Gap.

Both parents are proud of their son, but mom is still worried
and not yet ready to see her little boy be a man. She relies on
what she calls the faith factor and knowing that the Army has
trained them well to do their jobs.

Specialist Ryan Mead is heading out for his first deployment
overseas as a member of the Army National Guard. He joined the
National Guard in 2007 after graduating from Port Allegany High
School. He too will leave behind an anxious wife, Kayla.

Though his father finds that “being able to deploy with his son
an honor and a privilege,” his mother says, “it’s hard.”

“People say after all these years I should be used to it, but
deployments are never easy, and this time they are both going,” she
said.

She offers the following advice to others facing these
circumstances: “It’s one day at a time. Grab onto whatever support
you can.”

Todd Mead is excited to be going to Iraq with his son, but in
the same sense, worried too. They will not be stationed at the same
camp when they get there. Staff Sgt. Mead will be located at Camp
Victory/Liberty which is approximately 25 miles northeast of
Baghdad and his son will be stationed at Camp Taji, 10 miles
northwest of Baghdad.

“No way I could let him go without me,” said Todd Mead, even if
they aren’t on the same base together.

Todd Mead was called to this deployment under a stop loss order
which retains soldiers on active duty for deployment, but is
expected to retire in July of 2010; his wife chuckles, saying “I’ll
believe it when I see it,” referring to his retirement.

Approximately 4,000 troops are part of this deployment. They are
expected to leave in two groups, first to Kuwait and then onto
their duty stations in Iraq.

The soldiers are expected to be back by September of this
year.

Pennsylvania’s infantry soldiers represent the National Guard’s
only Stryker brigade. They trained for this deployment at Camp
Shelby, Miss., and Fort Polk, La., from September through December
2008.