“Opportunity to heal:” Idaho National Guard Brigade gathers, reflects on time in Iraq

Dean Hagerman remembers a rocket landing right outside a building he was in just a few days after having arrived in Iraq in early December 2004.

Hagerman was one of the people who were mobilized in May that year as part of the Idaho National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team (the largest deployment of Idaho National Guard soldiers in state history, though other states are part of the team).

And this weekend in the Treasure Valley, brigade members are gathering to commemorate the mobilization, honor the fallen and celebrate the friendships forged.

“I’m not going to say it was hell, but it was rough and challenging. We bonded in that experience (of deployment).“

The United States attacked Iraq in March 2003 in part because of then-President George W. Bush’s false assertion that the Middle Eastern country had weapons of mass destruction, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Hagerman said their mission was to provide stability and encourage democracy.

This weekend’s events started Friday and will continue until Sunday. Former Governor Dirk Kempthorne spoke to former brigade members on Saturday.

During the weekend, people will remember soldiers such as Carrie French , from Caldwell, who died at age 19 in 2005 in Iraq.

“It’s an opportunity to heal,” Hagerman said. “The remembrance ceremonies are a more somber event, but the rest of it, it’s meant to be a party, to enjoy each other’s company, catch up on what’s going on with people’s lives.”