December 4, 1995
Web posted at: 10:20 p.m. EST (0320 GMT)
From Correspondent Brian Cabbell
FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (CNN) -- The Bravo Company of the 4th Battalion of the 325th Airborne Regiment watched Defense Secretary William Perry's press conference Monday with anticipation. Speculation had been strong that they would go to Bosnia.
When the rumors proved correct, most reacted with excitement.
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"This is what I'm trained to do," said one soldier who had been previously stationed in Germany. It is a dangerous mission, he said, but "we're highly trained."
The training for the 4th Battalion last week had been generic. But rumors about a deployment to Bosnia were in the air. They knew; their families knew; their wives knew.
"She says if you gotta go, you gotta go," said another soldier, adding that his wife's pregnancy will make the departure more difficult.
The troops being deployed from Fort Bragg have already been processed -- they've been given inoculations, and they've made out wills. As they get set for transport to Bosnia, they hope the nation is behind them.
"Either you're going to send them all, support them all, or
you're not going to send them," said another soldier.
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His
sentiment was shared by most of the soldiers preparing to
ship out.
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