It’s 2 a.m. Monday in Mosul and the Super Bowl just kicked off. Greensburg resident Sgt. Randy J. Gauck is in front of the TV, thoughts of the dust and dirt and heat of the country where he is serving eclipsed by the hopeful heroics of Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Those are his party plans, simple and exciting.
Even in Iraq, the spirit and fervor of tomorrow’s Super Bowl game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints is strong. The heat and hot wind is having a hard time blowing away the sanguine mood created by the Colts’ trip to Miami.
Like many in his company, Gauck will be given a reprieve from his duties to watch the big game, even if it doesn’t start until the middle of the night.
Gauck currently serves with the Army National Guard as part of the 1313th Engineer Company. He is a heavy equipment operator who specializes in maintenance to keep the trucks, bulldozers, excavators, cranes, rollers and trailers that are working in the country up and running. Gauck had previously served in the Middle East, in the United States Marine Corps., during Operation Desert Storm. He was deployed from Camp Atterbury in May, 2009 and plans to return home in May 2010 following his tour of duty.
So far, Gauck had been experiencing his normal routine and not doing too much to prepare for the Super Bowl festivities, other than planning to watch it with friends and fellow soldiers. The game will be broadcast in the “chow halls,” in the platoon rooms and in the command post offices, Gauck explained. As of Friday, he still had not decided which of the venues he would choose but rest assured, he said, he was watching the game and rooting on his Colts.
Once the game starts, he noted, staying awake shouldn’t be too hard for the excited fans serving there. The Super Bowl might be the highlight of his day, but it won’t be the only thing on his to-do list, which likely doesn’t include buying chips and pizza.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Gauck said he plans to go through the normal routine of working a nine-hour shift, which he usually does seven days a week. The day following the Super Bowl will be the day he takes off, since the game starts so early in the morning in Iraq.
The unit with which Gauck serves is from Indiana, but he also serves with battalions from West Virginia and Florida. For the most part, Gauck’s fellow soldiers are rooting for the Indianapolis Colts, though a few Indiana natives still claim to be Chicago Bears fans, he said, and will not be rooting for the Horseshoes. Gauck himself was a Cincinnati Bengals fan before the Colts arrived in Indianapolis in 1984 from Baltimore. Fortunately, perhaps for them, New Orleans Saints fans are hard to come by in Gauck’s squad, he said.
Though the Super Bowl is on the horizon for the American soldiers in Iraq, another important mission is coming up too. With the forthcoming Iraqi elections in the near future, Gauck said he and his company were busy preparing and gearing up for that mission.
When he isn’t making sure the military’s trucks and vehicles are running smoothly, Gauck said he takes time to keep in touch with family back home as much as he can.
“We rarely lose touch,” Gauck explained. “I talk to one or more of my family members all the time.”
Usually, he stays in contact through telephone calls, e-mail or by instant messaging.
“I’ve got about three months left, but until then it’s normal routine for me,” Gauck said.
Hopefully, the routine can be broken up with the elation of a Super Bowl victory, even if it comes as the sun rises over the hot deserts of Iraq.
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Super Bowl Party Plans A Little Different For Local Soldier
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