‘We all became brothers’
In 2005, the men of Army National Guard 103rd Armored Scouts were one unit, carrying out missions with precision and purpose, each integral to their team.
The platoon, described by their commanding officer Tom Guthrie as “a bunch of Southwestern Pennsylvania kids, wondering how we got there,” served in Iraq during the height of insurgency and the country’s first free election in half a century.
“We didn’t know each other, and then we trained, lived, ate and breathed together every day for a year and a half,” said Washington native Michael Pattison. “Being with people every single day, you get to know each other quickly and to trust in each other’s abilities. We all became brothers.”
Those brothers – teachers, pilots, police officers, firefighters and Department of Homeland Security agents among them – reunited Saturday at Hungry Jose’s, Washington, 10 years after serving together.
“I’m very proud of them and where we came from,” said Guthrie, greeting the men who followed him all those years ago with handshakes and hugs. “I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to serve with all of them, let alone lead them in battle. People talk about ‘brotherhood’ and ‘band of brothers.’ It’s really no joke.”
Most of the men were in their early 20s and single when they went to war. Now, they are family men who brought their partners and children to meet their fellow soldiers and friends.
Pattison, a 2001 Trinity High School graduate, was 21 when he was shot in the face by an Iraqi sniper May 19, 2005. Half of the members of 103rd Armored Scouts were there, securing a government office building in Baji, about 30 miles north of Baghdad. They carried him to safety.
Although Pattison fully recovered and now lives in New York, Guthrie, who serves in the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Washington, said the shooting took a toll on the unit.
“It was very, very dangerous,” he said of their year in Iraq. “It makes me feel proud to watch them all accomplish what they have over the last 10 years.”
Pattison was the only soldier in his unit to be seriously injured while serving. All 25 members of the 103rd came home, a feat Pattison said is a testament to the leadership of Guthrie and his superiors.
Washington resident Jason Joseph said the soldiers relied on each other when they first returned from Iraq, readjusting to civilian life and trying to get back into routines.
“Those first few months, we hung out all the time. Then, we kind of spread out,” he said.
About half still remain in the region while the other live throughout the country. As social networking became more popular, the group reached out to each other more. They now communicate via texts and emails and have gone to Steelers games together. Some have been in each other’s weddings.
“I don’t get to see them that much, but I know if any of them would call me and need something, I’d be there,” said Guthrie. “These guys are true Americans. They are what America is all about. Look at them today: fine young men, great representatives of this country, Pennsylvania and Southwestern Pennsylvania.”