Et cetera : Proud but anxious parents watch trio of 2005 VSHS graduates serve in military

Like all other military parents, Steven and Christine Brewer and Jim and Linda Greaser of rural Vinton are proud of their sons, and nervous about their children’s future in the armed forces. You can’t blame the Brewers or Greasers, however, if right now, they are a bit more proud and a lot more nervous than usual. That’s because one of the Brewer sons is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan while the other is in the middle of the intense and physically demanding Army Ranger training. And the Greasers’ son, First Platoon Leader Danel R. Greaser of the 101st Airborne in Kort Campbell, Ky., is preparing to learn to jump from helicopters while his unit trains for deployment to Afghanistan. Kyle Brewer: Public Affairs and Fire Directions Officer 2 Lt. Kyle Brewer has two missions as his unit prepares to go to Afghanistan as part of one of the biggest deployments in Iowa National Guard history. Brewer is the Fire Directions Officer as well as the Unit Public Affairs Representative for the 194th Field Artillery, which is based in Estherville. While still in Iowa, Lt. Brewer is sending out information about meetings in several cities where many soldiers live before the 194th deploys this summer. That is part of his job as the UPAR. In Afghanistan, it will be Lt. Brewer’s job to receive the coordinates from soldiers closer to the front lines about where to direct fire, and to make the final decision before a target is fired upon. Christine Brewer said that the Army assigned her son to the Fire Directions Officer, which is further from the front and less dangerous than the forward operations soldiers. “If it was up to him, he would have taken the more dangerous job,” she said. (The National Guard News release sent by Lt. Brewer appears at the end of this story.) Kyle Brewer was the Iowa and Regional National Guard Soldier of the Year in 2007. Josh Brewer: Ranger hopeful The Brewers’ other son, Josh, is in the middle of U.S. Army Ranger training. “Josh said it’s been the toughest 18 days of his life,” said Christine. “They tell you before you begin Ranger training that you will lose 25 to 40 pounds, that you will hallucinate… he said it’s been all that and more. We knew it would be hard but we did not know how hard it would be.” Often, Christine said, Josh has told his parents that it’s not that big a deal for them to show up for ceremonies. “But he told us that if he makes it, he’d like to see us there for his Ranger ceremony,” she said. There were 396 candidates that began training with Josh Brewer in this Ranger class. Already the class is down to 164, with weeks left in the training. Daniel Greaser, 101st Airborne platoon leader First Platoon Leader Daniel R. Greaser Fort Campbell, KY 101st Airborne is preparing to attend Airborne school this summer. His unit will deploy to the Middle East in the fall or early 2011, said his mother. While Platoon Leader Greaser works in the 594th transportation company, he is required to learn air assault – jumping out of helicopters – because he is an officer. He will begin this training in June. “His unit is the most-deployed base in the U.S., and also the base with the highest suicide rate,” said Linda Greaser. Greaser and the Brewers were in theArmy Reserves from Fall 2004 as high school seniors to May 2009 when they were commissioned. All three were in dual programs, the Reserves and ROTC. ”They commissioned last Spring as officers then all went to there prospective training for their jobs. Dan just got to his permanent base in February after training in Oklahoma and Virginia. Dan was able to be in Washington D.C for Veterans Day last November – that was a highlight for him,” said Linda Greaser. Jim and Linda visited their son at the Army base over the Easter weekend. The Screaming Eagles The Following information is from; WWW.CAMPBELL.ARMY.MIL FortCampbell 101st (Air Assault) Screaming Eagles is the only Air Assault Division in the World. It is the nation's premier power projection platform strategically located on the TN/KY state line, the 106,700 acre installation possesses a unique capability to deploy mission-ready contingency forces by air, rail, highway, and inland waterway. It is also home to the Army's most-deployed contingency forces with two Special Forces Groups. The 5th Special Forces Group (Air Borne) and the 160 Special forces Aviation Regiment (Air Borne). IOWA NATIONAL GUARD TO HOLD TOWN HALL MEETINGS The Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team will host a series of town hall meetings at various locations across the state to provide information and answer questions about its upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. This deployment will be the largest of its kind for the Iowa National Guard since World War II. More than 3,000 Cizen-Soldiers from Iowa are expected to mobilize as part of this deployment, which will affect nearly every Iowa community. Soldiers’ families, employers, community members, and news media representatives are invited to attend. The program for the general public begins at 6:30 p.m. Following the open town hall meeting, Soldiers and family members are invited to attend a closed-door session with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team leadership team. The Cedar Rapids meeting date and location are as follows: 5/4/2010 -- Cedar RapidsCoeCollege, Terry Auditorium, 1220 First Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids. For additional information about the operations, training, and activities of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard, please contact Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by email at gregory.hapgood@us.army.mil or (515) 252-4582.