Far from home

Submitted by
Maj. Daniel Johnson
 
A little over 7,500 miles away, the soldiers of the 115th Field Artillery Brigade, of the Wyoming National Guard, are deployed, conducting operations and missions in the Middle East. With over 100 soldiers currently deployed, four soldiers are protecting their state and country and representing their small town home, Newcastle, Wyo.
Spc. Halle McCoy, daughter of Robyn Stanton and Lee McCoy, and a 2018 Newcastle High School graduate, arrived in the Middle East in early October. Arriving a few months after the rest of her unit made her nervous but she was comforted in the fact that there were soldiers from Newcastle. The knowledge that a piece of home was waiting for her halfway around the world helped eliminate some of the anxieties of being deployed for the first time. When she arrived, Maj. Daniel Johnson, a fellow Newcastle resident, and son of Brent and Diane Johnson, came to check on her and made sure she was settling into the new environment. Johnson also graduated from Newcastle High School, back in 1999.
“I was talking to my mom and she said that Coach McCoy’s daughter was going to be deploying,” said Johnson. “She told me that I need to look out for her. I just remember telling my mom, ‘I got this, she will be just fine.’” 
This is Johnson’s second deployment with the WYARNG. He deployed originally in 2013, with the 133rd Engineer Company, out of Laramie, Wyo.
“In preparation for this deployment, we were conducting pre-mobilization training and I specifically remember speaking with Sgt. Justin Francis,” said Johnson. “I discovered that he, too, was from Newcastle.”  
Francis, son of John Francis and Denice Pisciotti, graduated from Newcastle High School in 2014. 
“What I love about the Wyoming Guard is that it truly is a small community,” said Johnson.  “When you talk with soldiers, it’s pretty common that you’ll know someone they know, but it isn’t very often that they went to the same high school as you did! When I was talking with Francis, I asked him about his parents and when he said ‘Pisciotti,’ it brought me right back to Newcastle, where I actually wrestled with Dustin Pisciotti. McCoy’s father was actually one of my coaches, from my wrestling days in Upton. Being over here with soldiers from your hometown makes you look out for them a little more. You try to check in on them and make sure they are doing ok. Everyone has ups and downs while you are here, but I seemed to find myself checking in on Francis and McCoy a little more because of where they are from.”
This is Francis’ first deployment. He joined the Guard in October 2013 as a geospatial engineer for the 115th FAB. Francis felt prepared to deploy, as he was on the list from the beginning. 
“I was more than willing and excited to get my first deployment under my belt, before my first six-year contract was up,” said Francis. “I have also been told how much harder it is when you have a family and I wanted to go on a deployment before I started my own family. When I was on the plane I was excited and ready to see what a deployment with the 115th FAB would be like and also hopeful to grow my skills as a geospatial engineer.” 
Francis had a solid network of friends and mentors going into the deployment. 
“I had grown pretty close to several people in the 115th FAB before the deployment, but it was nice knowing that there were a few people that I have had a long connection with from Newcastle,” said Francis. “Maj. Johnson treated me like a little brother from day one. Spc. McCoy and I connected on experiences we shared from Newcastle High School and some of the people we went to school with. People around us would give us funny looks. They just couldn’t understand some of the things that go on in a small town like Newcastle.”
McCoy joined the WYARNG in 2017 and this is her first deployment. She is a 2018 NHS graduate.
“As I stepped onto the plane to come overseas, I felt a variety of mixed emotions,” said McCoy.  “I was excited because this was a whole new adventure for me and I couldn’t wait to see the world. I was nervous. I mean, I was only 19 years old, traveling across the world to meet up with people I’ve never met before!”
McCoy remembers the first time she met Johnson.
“He came into the room and told me if I messed up he was going to rat me out to my mom, which helped settle things down a little,” said McCoy. “Being with the soldiers from Newcastle helped a lot with my emotions. It was settling knowing that I am with people who come from the same area, and know some of the same people I do.”
“Deploying with soldiers from your hometown is probably not a common thing and on this deployment we have four soldiers who are Newcastle High School graduates, representing their country, unit, and in this case, their home town,” said Johnson. “That is good stuff and pretty awesome. We have Major Shaun Stensaas, myself, Sgt. Francis and Specialist McCoy who all have something more than just the Wyoming Army National Guard in common, and that is that we are from the same small town in Wyoming.”
Johnson said he appreciates and would like to recognize the News Letter Journal staff for giving soldiers a little piece of home every week while deployed.
“I received the Journal on my first deployment and on this one, and I can never really explain my gratitude — it is something I looked forward to weekly, so thank you to Robb Hicks, Stephanie Bonnar, Bob Bonnar, Kim Dean, Alexis Barker, KateLynn Slaamot, Sonja Karp, Hannah Gross, and Walter Sprague,” Johnson said.
 
EDITOR’S NOTE: The News Letter Journal offers a free one-year subscription to all active duty military personnel from Weston County, Wyo. To find out more, call (307) 746-2777 or email circulation@newslj.com.