'Watchdogs' begin redeploying

By Sgt. Maj. Terry Anderson 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public AffairsOctober 2, 2009

'Watchdogs' begin redeploying
Sgt. 1st Class Richard McKay, 8th Military Police (MP) Brigade, embraces his wife, Annette, as his daughter, Aspen, and son, Chase, look on. McKay and five other 8th MP Bde. Soldiers arrived at Honolulu International Airport, Sept. 24, after a 12-mon... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HONOLULU (Sept. 24) - The first group of returning 8th Military Police (MP) Brigade Soldiers may have been small, but it signified the beginning of the end of a yearlong deployment for the Watchdogs.

Spouse, Annette McKay; daughter, Aspen, 19; and son, Chance, 13, waited anxiously near the baggage claim area at Honolulu International Airport for Sgt. 1st Class Richard McKay to walk through the sliding glass doors and into their open arms, Sept. 24.

McKay and five other 8th MP Bde. Soldiers stepped through the doors after their long journey from Iraq back home to Hawaii.

"I'm nervous and can't wait to see him," McKay said. "I'm glad this deployment is finally almost over."

Sgt. 1st Class McKay and more than 100 8th MP Bde. Soldiers deployed from Schofield Barracks nearly a year ago to Baghdad, providing command and control for 5,000 military police Soldiers in four battalions spread throughout Iraq. The deployment was the first for the brigade.

The small group of 8th MP Soldiers came home a few weeks early to prepare for the rest of the brigade headquarters to redeploy during the next few weeks.

"The deployment was like a roller coaster," said McKay. "With the change in mission in Iraq, we went from going out on missions all the time to being stuck on Camp Victory. It was a great deployment for the brigade."

When the time finally came to reunite, McKay's son Chase wouldn't let go of him.

"After all this time being away, to walk in here and see my family, it's awesome," McKay said.