Ready to serve: Area reservists receive the call to active duty

The activated reservists will help strengthen security at three Ohio airports.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Don Moffett had been waiting for the call since Sept. 11. He was ready; he just didn't know when the phone would ring.
The call came Monday. Moffett would be among the reservists from the Ohio Army National Guard's 838th Military Police Co. in Austintown activated for airport security. The company, which is based at the Youngstown Armory on Victoria Road, could be assigned other duties in the future.
Moffett, 19, a private first class from Berlin Center, said he knew when he got the call it was "time to roll."
"We signed up not really expecting this to happen, but we knew there was a chance," he said.
David Kamer, 21, a specialist from Youngstown, added: "We've gotten trained to do something. Finally, something has happened."
Airport security: Company Capt. Dan Barrett said that some of the reservists will be sent Friday to three Ohio airports to assist local police and the Federal Aviation Administration with security. The reservists will be assigned to Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and Akron-Canton Regional Airport, he said.
The FAA has asked the U.S. Department of Defense to coordinate the use of about 5,000 National Guard members from around the country to strengthen airport security. The request came in response to the Sept. 11 hijackings of the commercial planes that were crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania.
Barrett would not specify how many reservists from the 838th Military Police Co. have been activated. The company has about 150 members.
"Each one is going to go do what they need to do," Barrett said, describing the attitude of the reservists as "very positive, very motivated."
No fear: Company Sgt. James McVey, 23, of Mentor, said he is "pretty confident of the unit and of the nation as a whole." McVey, who also was on active duty in Bosnia, added that he did not fear the possibility of serving in an armed conflict in the future.
"Tell me where to go, and I'm going," he said.
E-4 Specialist Mystery Harris, 32, of Youngstown, also said she wasn't afraid to serve in an armed conflict.
"I chose to serve my country and everything that comes with it," she said.
Harris' mother, Sue, said that she is not concerned for her daughter's safety. In fact, Sue Harris, 61, said, "If I could go, I would."
"I support her. I support everybody here," Sue Harris said of her daughter and the other reservists. "I think it's wonderful that she's in a position to do what she can do."
Mystery Harris said she is comforted by the fact that she doesn't have to worry about her mother's fears.
Experienced: Richard Baldwin, 47, a master sergeant from Canfield, said his family isn't surprised that he has been called to active service. Baldwin, who works as a patrolman for the Youngstown Police Department, said that soon after the Sept. 11 attacks, his family discussed the possibility that he might be activated.
The family talks about paying their bills and maintaining a daily routine while he is in active service, he said. Baldwin added that they had similar discussions before he was called to active service in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf War. He also served in the Vietnam War.
"That way, if it happens, they won't be surprised," Baldwin said.
Baldwin said he also talks with the younger reservists about the consequences of being called to active duty. He said he is concerned that younger reservists will find their attempts to get an education interrupted by active service.
Mystery Harris, Kamer, and Moffett are students at Youngstown State University, and McVey is a student at the University of Akron. Mystery Harris said that although she is worried about the future of her education, she feels that service to her country is more important than college.
Baldwin said he tells younger reservists that thanks to their training, they are well-prepared for active service.
"I tell them we've been trained for this," he said. "Do as you've been trained."
hill@vindy.com