New Mexico National Guard soldiers stationed in Poland on a roughly nine-month tour told Santa Fe radio host Chuck Zobac they love and miss their family and friends, particularly as the holidays approach.
But, during a recent taping of Zobac's weekly KTRC radio show Calling All Vets, they said they're not complaining. They have a job to do and they intend to do it.
And they know it's doubly hard on their loved ones.
"It's not easy to have a dad who goes away for a long time," Sgt. Christopher Palowski of Albuquerque said, speaking by cellphone from the 1209th Medical Support Company's headquarters in Poland.
He said his wife and "two gorgeous kids" are waiting for him to return home next summer.
But, he said, the roughly 80 New Mexican soldiers who deployed from Rio Rancho to Poland in September "believe in our mission."
They provide medical support to service members participating in Operation Atlantic Resolve, which bolsters the United States' commitment to stability in the region following Russia's military interference with Ukraine. They are part of some 500 New Mexicans serving with the Guard overseas.
About 15 of those New Mexicans used a single cellphone to talk with Zobac during the Tuesday taping of his show -- which airs Saturday -- to tell their loved ones they are thinking of them.
"We've got our own family over here but ... I miss [New Mexico], especially this time of year," Pfc. Michael Sedillo of Albuquerque told Zobac.
Most said they miss the people, the mountains, the skies, red and green chile, and tamales.
"There's no chile out here whatsoever," one soldier said. "We don't know what heat is."
Zobac, a Vietnam War veteran, said he knows how tough it is on both military personnel deployed overseas and on their families back home to be apart. This is the first time in his radio show's nearly five-year run that he has hosted a "calling home" event for the holiday season.
"Instead of 'Calling All Vets,' the vets are calling me," he said.
For some of the younger troops, he said, "This could be their first time away from not just home, but from the United States. This is an opportunity for them to say 'Happy holidays' or 'Merry Christmas' or whatever they want to their family and friends here.
"Say you miss your mom and dad, your child, the sunshine, your Chevy, your horse, your dog, whatever," he told the soldiers during his introduction.
When he served overseas, Zobac said, it was nearly impossible to call home . Technology has changed that.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth A. Nava of the New Mexico National Guard said Zobac's radio show is "a great opportunity for our soldiers to try to connect. There is a sense of something missing when you are deployed in a foreign location and you are not with your family, especially around the holidays.
"To do this on a broadcast radio station and podcast where folks can listen in provides an incredible opportunity for the public to hear, in the voices of these servicemen and women, the sacrifices they are making for our freedom."
The soldiers who spoke with Zobac Tuesday came from around the state -- Albuquerque, Cloudcroft, Raton, Reserve and Rio Rancho. They conveyed messages in English, Spanish, Navajo and, in Palowski's case, Polish. He is Polish-American and is learning a few words of Polish while overseas.
Capt. Stephanie Roybal of Rio Rancho told Zobac the operation so far has been "the best deployment I could ask for.
"As long as nothing goes crazy in Eastern Europe, we're OK. Otherwise ... we're the first line of defense."
She said the medical unit is not unlike the one people may have seen in the film and television series M*A*S*H, a mobile hospital operation that can perform surgeries, x-rays, medical care and "stabilization [for patients] for up to 72 hours."
She and Zobac joked about the heavy traffic on U.S. 550, which begins in Bernalillo just north of Albuquerque and runs northwest 175 miles through the communities of San Ysidro, Cuba, Nageezi, Bloomfield and Aztec.
Then, she too spoke of her family -- "two beautiful redheads [girls] and I miss them terribly. I love my husband for supporting my career. It's not an easy task."
Though none of the soldiers seemed to choke up during the one-hour taping, at one point Zobac did, his eyes filling with tears.
"What you're doing right now may not seem dramatically important ... but it fits into the whole machine," he told the troops.
Palowski said they understand that. He asked Zobac to remind New Mexicans "we're still out here, we're still doing things. We're representing New Mexico."
Then he said, "I love you," in Polish, to his family and friends.
This article is written by By Robert Nott rnott@sfnewmexican.com from The Santa Fe New Mexican and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
© Copyright 2019 The Santa Fe New Mexican. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2019-12-21 13:12:53Z
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/21/15-national-guard-soldiers-poland-call-santa-fe-radio-host.html
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