By Tove Tupper
 
November 23, 2009
 
CENTRAL POINT, Ore. - Nearly seven months ago, the Oregon National Guard began it's biggest deployment since World War II, with more than 3,000 soldiers sent to Iraq.
 
600 of those troops are from Southern Oregon.
 
This year's Thanksgiving holiday will be very different for many families with their soldiers half a world away.
 
E-6 Staff Sergeant Shayne Hines of Central Point is deployed in Iraq. He's also a husband to Jessica, and father to Nathan and Maisy. He stays connected the family uses Skype, an online service that allows people to video chat for free over the internet.
 
"Being able to actually interact from the other side of the world via the internet, it's an amazing thing. It boosts your moral," said Staff Sergeant Shayne Hines with the Oregon National Guard.
 
Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Day is with the 41st Brigade Combat Team based in Southern Iraq, with headquarters in Tallil. Their main mission is convoy security, helping protect goods as they are transported from one place to another. The goods are mostly fuel and food. Most of the missions last between two and five days, but sometimes the soldiers run into delays.
 
"Convoys get held up for all kinds of things, it's just like trying to make it through Portland, maybe, and you get behind wreck and it could be hours," said Luitenant Colonel Gregory Day with the Oregon National Guard.
 
The soldiers have worked with the Iraqis frequently throughout their deployment.
 
"Because they're the ones securing all the routes we are on. So most of our interacting with Iraq security forces is talking with these guys when we're out on the road," Day said... "We have had enemy attack contact periodically so far all of their attacks, efforts against us have been unsuccessful," Day said.
 
However, the soldiers do get some down time. Earlier this fall, some of the soldiers ran in a Race for the Cure in Tallil.
 
"It's a great opportunity for us to stay connected with our communities back in Oregon. And also stay connected back in the United States," said Colonel Dan Hokanson with the Oregon National Guard.
 
Lt. Col. Day expects the Southern Oregon guard members to travel approximately one-million miles on the convoy security missions before this deployment is over. The soldiers are scheduled to return to the Northwest sometime in April or May.