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»Guard | Soldiers depart for IraqCONTINUED FROM | PAGE 1Canavan said making the departure was easier for him than for his wife, Nicole, or his mother, Denise, who joined the crowd of well-wishers gathered inside the spare, flag-draped armory. That Canavan’s brother, Sgt. 1st Class Scott Canavan, 29, was also being deployed in the same unit heightened the family’s anxiety - feelings Canavan did his best to assuage.“We’re a very well-trained unit,” he said. “We plan to go and do our jobs and come home safely.”On the other side of the hall, Sgt. 1st Class Kurt Hinxman was standing with his arm around his wife, Cyndi, whose eyes welled with tears. The Londonderry resident, a member of the National Guard for 32 years, was being deployed for the first time.“I’ve been dodging the bullet for 32 years,” said Hinxman, 50, who joined the Reserves the same year he got married.The couple has four children: Gena, 19, Ken, 22, Melissa, 25, and Dwayne, 31, who is an Army recruiter. They also have four grandchildren.They said they prepared for the deployment by spending time together as a family and talking.‘I've spent 15 years preparing. It’s been so busy, so fast moving that I haven't had a chance to feel anything.’Capt. ROY HUNTER,Headquarters Battery, 197th Field Artillery“We talk about our feelings, draw on each other’s strength and trust in the Lord,” said Cyndi, a teacher at the Tabernacle Christian School in Litchfield.Other soldiers taking leave of loved ones said they were depending on their faith and their families for their strength.Capt. Roy Hunter, 34, of Londonderry, was one. Saying goodbye to his wife, Kristi, and their three children - Stephanie, 14, Hannah, 13, and Tim, 11 - wasn’t easy for Hunter, a member of the Reserves for 15 years. On his first deployment, he will serve as battery commander to the 100-plus men and women in his unit.“I’ve spent 15 years preparing,” he said. “It’s been so busy, so fast moving that I haven’t had a chance to feel anything.”Hattie Bernstein can be reached at 594-6439 or bern-steinhatelegraph-nh.com.
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Nashua Telegraph
Nashua, New Hampshire, US
Tue, Jan 06, 2004
Page 7
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NH, USA 20 Aug 2020
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