Valley family man to be deployed overseas

Robert Whited is a member of the 838th and will be overseas for a year.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

AUSTINTOWN — Robert Whited of Austintown is a proud father.

Whited smiles as he retells the story of Ethan, his 2-year-old son, finding a turtle in the backyard of their Edgewater Drive home.

“He was so happy to touch it,” Whited said. “He was so giggly.”

As for accomplishments, Whited talks about his excitement when Ethan used the potty for the first time recently.

Whited, an Austintown patrolman, enjoys watching Ethan with his extensive train collection, and joins his son every so often.

Whited, 35, also treasures the time he spends with his wife, Michele.

But come Sept. 28, things are going to significantly change at the Whited house.

Whited, a master sergeant, and about 160 other Ohio National Guard troop members from the 838th Military Police Co., based in Austintown, will report to Camp Shelby in Mississippi on that date.

After training, the troop, called to active duty about two weeks ago by the U.S. Department of Defense, will be deployed overseas for a year.

The company will handle security at fixed locations, escorting convoys and providing assistance to local security forces. The unit will fight the global war on terror under Operation Enduring Freedom and could be sent anywhere overseas except Iraq.

Missing his family

That means Whited won’t be around to watch Ethan grow or spend quiet time with his wife during that year. It will also put a financial strain on the Whited household without his police salary.

Michele, Whited’s wife of four years, initially didn’t take the news very well.

“It’s a big stress dump on her,” her husband said. “Her initial reaction was shock. She was very surprised, but she knew it could happen. Duty calls, but my family is going to be the hardest thing to separate from. I’m going to hear that Ethan did this or that, but not be there to see it.”

Preparing for the year away from his family, Whited is making videos of himself and having his picture taken so his wife will be able to show them to Ethan so he can remember his father. Also, Whited said he will send letters and e-mails to his wife and son and talk to them as often as possible.

“It’s very difficult to leave,” he said. “It’s one year lost, but then I have plenty of time to recoup that loss.”

Whited, a former Naval petty officer 3rd class, joined the 838th in December 1994, making him one of the more senior members of the unit.

“I expected a deployment; I thought it was coming,” he said.

Past deployments

Only 28 percent of the unit’s members were with the 838th during its last deployment two years ago in Mississippi to help with the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

This is the first time the company is being deployed overseas in a decade. The unit had the longest standing deployment of any Ohio National Guard unit during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

It was deployed to Germany in 1996 and 1997 in support of missions in the Balkans and Kosovo. Whited was with the 838th for that deployment.

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the unit was activated and provided security at airports until February 2002. Whited was in Cleveland, allowing him to travel home often.

Its members then spent a year in Washington, D.C., providing security at government buildings and military bases.

While leaving his family behind is very difficult, Whited said his unit is like a second family to him.

“Serving is a calling to me,” he said. “You become tight as a unit. Honestly, I love it. Family is very important, but I still enjoy the military.”

skolnick@vindy.com