‘From our troop to yours’

Beaverton Brownies head to soldiers' deployment ceremony to offer support

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, May 7, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Jaime Valdez / The Beaverton Valley Times

SHOW OF SUPPORT — Beaverton Brownies Nataly Najdek, Maya Gonzalez and Reilly Onchi hold up signs for soldiers standing at attention to see as Gov. Ted Kulongoski speaks.

A troop of Beaverton Brownies learned about patriotism Saturday as they stood amidst 1,000 well-wishers and soldiers’ families in the stands of Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Looking down from their places in the stands, they cheered for the 2,700 men and women in the Oregon National Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who were preparing to leave for training prior to their 10-month deployment in Iraq.

Maya Gonzalez, a third-grader at McKay Elementary, raised a sign above her head that read, “God Bless You! From our Troop To Yours.”

Like her fellow Girl Scouts in Troop 1311, Gonzalez had an important message to send.

“They are doing a very important thing for our country, and we want them to know that Girl Scouts support them all the way,” the 9-year-old with pigtails and a lollipop said. “It makes me feel proud to be here.”

Reilly Onchi, a Hiteon Elementary first-grader, agreed.

“It makes me feel good because we are here to help the people who are fighting in the war,” the 6-year-old added. “I hope that they won’t die and that they come home to all their families.”

Troop Leader Mary Warinner thought Saturday’s mobilization ceremony would provide her young charges with an important opportunity to send-off soldiers as they depart on what is the largest deployment of the Oregon National Guard since World War II.

“I want them to understand the sacrifices these soldiers and their families make,” said Warinner. “We also want the soldiers here to know that there are people who care about them and support their willingness to serve.”

Seeing all the soldiers standing at attention in formations as Gov. Ted Kulongoski praised their courage, integrity and patriotism, helped the young girls understand the lessons Warinner shared with them as they made their cards and signs for the troops.

“Being here makes it more personal for them,” said Warinner, who volunteers with Soldiers’ Angels, sending care packages to a soldier serving in Iraq.

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