Texas soldiers from Fort Hood are heading to Europe to support NATO during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and people in Killeen Tuesday said they worry about the possible expansion of that role.
About 160 Fort Hood soldiers deployed Tuesday as part of a 7,000 member US support group.
The City of Killeen is just outside the Fort Hood main gate.
It is an Army town with a retired tank and helicopter decorating a downtown Killeen park.
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At the Taiwan Dragon Chinese Restaurant near that park, photos of past Army commanders and military personnel line the walls.
Waitress Vira Flores said the customers and employees are very aware of the deployment. Her son is a soldier at Fort Hood.
“I'm always wondering if they're going to send him there. So far, they haven't, but it's always on the back of your mind,” she said.
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The Fort Hood personnel deployed Tuesday are members of transportation, logistics and communication units.
The current U.S. mission is not combat.
“It could be more, yes, because it’s happened before. They start out with a small amount, next thing you know you see all the trains going by carrying all the vehicles and stuff,” restaurant customer Cindy Jenkins said. She said her retired Army husband deployed in the past, leaving her behind.
“It worries me. Yes, it does. I have many a friend who are spouses of military who get deployed,’ Jenkins said.
Fort Hood saw massive deployments for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tanks and trucks on rail cars went to ports for shipment overseas.
Killeen Mayor Jose Segarra is a realtor who caters to active duty personnel and their families. Segarra is also a veteran who first came to Killeen from the Chicago area to serve 10 years of active Army duty.
“We as a community are always training, too. Our job is to ensure that as a community, when they get deployed, that we’re there to take care of their families,” Mayor Segarra said.
In the Army, Segarra said he served as a mechanic in the sort of support unit that is deploying to Europe now. He said his unit had heavy equipment to build bridges and aircraft runways.
Similar support services could help humanitarian aid reach Europe as evacuees pour out of Ukraine.
The lack of support has been evident at times in the Russian invasion as food and fuel were said to be in short supply, stalling the Russian forces.
“That’s how you can win war. You just knock out their supply line,” Segarra said. “If they can’t get gasoline, your tanks are just standing still.”
Waitress Vira Flores said the conflict has produced supply complications at home. People in Killeen said they hope the conflict ends soon.
“It is affecting our economy, gas, the cost of living, food. It's not good for any of us,” Flores said.
This is just a small deployment but Mayor Segarra said the City of Killeen used to empty out when large deployments occurred in the past. Relatives of soldiers would return to their hometowns. He said many more spouses are now connected with the community in Killeen, which has tripled in population since his days in the Army. They serve as nurses and teachers in a school district that now has 43,000 students.
The Mayor and his constituents said they hope there will not be a large deployment and most soldiers stay in town.
