US soldiers' families react to Kuwait deployment

Being a U.S. soldier in a fast-response force sometimes means being sent halfway across the world within a day, leaving no time to say goodbye to those staying behind. That's what happened to Suuey Lamar when her husband, a member of the 82 Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, got the call on New Year's Eve. 

"Not knowing how long it's going to be until I see him, that's the hardest part," said Lamar. Her husband was among hundreds of U.S. soldiers deployed last week from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Kuwait to serve as reinforcements in the Middle East amid rising tensions following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general.

Lt. Col. Mike Burns, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, told The Associated Press 3,500 members of the division's quick-deployment brigade, known officially as its Immediate Response Force, will have deployed within a few days. 

The most recent group of service members to deploy will join about 700 who left earlier in the week, Burns said. A loading ramp at Fort Bragg was filled Saturday morning with combat gear and restless soldiers. 

Read: Pentagon to deploy hundreds of troops in Kuwait after Baghdad protests

Some tried to grab a last-minute nap on wooden benches. Reporters saw others filing onto buses. The additional troop deployments reflect concerns about potential Iranian retaliatory action in the volatile aftermath of Friday's drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who has been blamed for attacks on U.S. troops and American allies going back decades.

President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike near Baghdad's international airport. Iran has vowed retribution, raising fears of an all-out war, but it's unclear how or when a response might come. "I'm extremely proud of my husband. I'm going into this knowing this is what he wants. He loves his job," Lamar said. 

Read: Baghdad protesters call for US troops to leave

Burns said the soldiers within the Immediate Response Force train constantly to be ready to respond quickly to crises abroad. 
When called by their superiors, they have two hours to get to base with their gear and must maintain a state of readiness so that they can be in the air headed to their next location within 18 hours.

Similarly, Bri'anna Ferry's husband got the call on New Year's Eve, and she said he was on a plane to the Middle East within hours. "I told him, don't worry about us. We'll be fine," she said. "Focus on your mission."

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