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50 and still fighting

Mar-20-2005 » Filed Under: TF Freedom

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By Steve Walsh / Post-Tribune staff writer

First Sgt. Earl Deal Jr. said he may win the prize for being the oldest American soldier in Iraq.

Deal may not be far off the mark. He turned 59 on Feb. 6. If the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineer Battalion were to have its tour extended for the full 18 months allowed by law, Deal could be forced into mandatory retirement, at 60, while his unit is in Mosul, Iraq.

He isn’t the only older soldier with the unit that has bases in Gary, LaPorte and Valparaiso. More than a dozen soldiers with the 113th Engineers are older than 50, including most of the senior sergeants. [...]

Other soldiers in the unit and their officers said they benefited from having older soldiers in Iraq. They bring experience and guidance to the younger soldiers, who have never been in combat or in some cases even away from home for long periods.

“I think a lot of the young kids turn to us and ask our opinions,” said Master Sgt. Michael Thomas Sr., 52, of Valparaiso.

Thomas was at firebases in Vietnam 1971 and 1972. This spring, his youngest daughter will graduate from Valparaiso High School while he will be in Mosul.

“I think I relate to (younger soldiers) pretty well because of my children. I know what they think and how they feel,” he said. At times, Thomas said he struggled to find time to make his own adjustment to being in Mosul, while he tries to answer a steady stream of questions from younger troops. They want to know how to deal with being afraid and worry they won’t make it through a year in Iraq. [...]


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