278th Will Need to Find Own Way Home In the Event of Holiday Leave

More than three thousand Tennessee guard troops may have a holiday challenge next month.

If training for their deployment to Iraq goes well, the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment may get a visit home at Christmastime. But they’ll have to find a way home and back on their own.

Soldiers can accept gifts, like money for bus fare home, from anyone who offers. But Spokesman Randy Harris says ethics rules don’t allow troops to make a direct solicitation for that kind of thing.

“If they have the leave time, most of them will find a way to get home one way or the other because they are very resourceful on getting things done. They just can’t go out and ask for someone to help them.”

The holiday break isn’t something troops and their families can plan for. It will only happen if the unit’s preparations advance at a good pace. The decision to grant leave may not come until the last minute. And while the break wouldn’t last longer than a few days, there’s no way of knowing ahead of time which exact dates it might cover.

The 278th is Tennessee’s largest National Guard unit. It’s set to switch into active duty mode the first week of December. They’ll train for about two months in southern Mississippi, then ship out to Iraq from there.