Burlington, Vt. – January 10, 2010 – In a formal departure ceremony the Vermont National Guard said farewell today to approximately five hundred soldiers, bound for Afghanistan, as they concluded the activation of the 86th IBCT (Mtn). Soldiers in this ceremony represent Vermont Army National Guard Armories in Berlin, Windsor, Northfield, Winooski, Williston and Colchester, Vt.

A crowd of thousands gathered for the event inside the tennis courts at the University of Vermont in Burlington.  In a small corner of the large crowded sports complex, Vermont Guard member PFC Meagan Avery, 30, of Hartford, Vt., held her two sons Dylan 12, and Caleb, 10, tight. She hugged them close in a tearful goodbye as she prepared to begin her year-long deployment, eventually serving in Afghanistan. Surrounding her in a touching show of support were 20 more family members and friends holding signs. Gathering around her in a semi-circle, each said their emotional goodbyes for the departing soldier. Many of them clutching their own handmade signs that read, “We love you!” and a title at the top such as ‘Mom Avery’ or ‘Auntie Avery’, each appropriate to the person holding it.

Belinda Daniels of Quechee, Vt., whose son is Meagan Avery’s boyfriend, explained the signs, “Even though she’s a soldier, she’s got lots of titles. She’s someone’s friend, she’s someone’s mom, someone’s girlfriend, aunt, daughter, sister, and niece.”

The family had driven up to Burlington the night before and rented local hotel rooms to throw a special sendoff party with a cake for Avery the evening before.

Avery’s mother Mary Brower of White River Junction, Vt. stood alongside holding an American flag and wearing a t-shirt that said, ‘My Daughter Wears Combat Boots’.  With a tear-streaked face full of pride, Brower said, “I’m very proud of her. I couldn’t be sadder, but I’m very proud of her.”

Congressman and military officers spoke, each supporting the soldiers who stood in formation and the families behind them. Orders were issued and they began to depart for the waiting buses. Emotion pushed forth on the faces of many soldiers as they marched out of the building with the band playing and the crowd applauding them. 

Avery marched in line with her fellow soldiers, her face still glistening with tear streaks. Her story illustrates  that if each departing soldier has a direct impact on at least 20 people, that 1,500 mobilized Vermont guard members will have no less than 30,000 Vermonters eagerly awaiting their return.

-Vermont Daily News staff report by Alden Pellett