Five-year-old Elyssa holds onto her mother, Major Melody Harrington, Saturday as spouses of the 412th Engineer Command troops meet for their monthly family readiness group potluck meeting at the George Morris Reserve Center. Children that attend watch a movie and enjoy food while the adults meet for fellowship. (Melanie Duncan ThortisThe Vicksburg Post)

[1/12/03]Lori Laigaie knows the power of numbers. For four years, she has depended on a core group of about 15 spouses of soldiers in the 412th Engineer Command U.S. Army Reserve in Vicksburg for support.

“We come together and have fun,” she said. “We’re from different parts of the country, but everyone’s in the same boat. We have things in common. It makes the Army seem like a small world.”

The group, made mostly of women, meets once a month to talk about relocating, loneliness, stress and preparing for their spouse’s deployment.

Laigaie’s husband, Master Sgt. John Laigaie, an active reserve in the 412th, is sometimes gone for weeks at a time with the Army. Her son, Aaron Laigaie, 18, is stationed in Germany for three years.

She said that the group comes in handy when emergencies arise. “When I was in the hospital and got out, five or six of them brought meals and made sure I was okay,” Laigaie said. “It’s like an extended family.”

Since the troops are often sent overseas anywhere from two weeks to 90 days, the support group formed to let spouses and their families know that they are not alone. The group also serves as a guide for new families who have recently moved to Vicksburg.

“As a unit, if we don’t know each other, then how can we support each other in a time of need,” said Beth Coleman, who serves as advisor of the group. “We’re not a wives club.”

During the meeting, Juanita Warren, family program coordinator for the group, said that the group is a great place for newcomers to get information on local services such as plumbers, electricians and shopping.

It also informs the spouses as to what projects are going on and why a unit may be deployed. “It eases the mind as to what’s going on in the unit,” Warren said.

Although the 412th is prepared to deploy within 72 hours, it is not scheduled to deploy. However, if deployed, the troop goes into a region before war for projects such as building roads and bridges. After a war is over, they go back to clean up, often building or rebuilding schools, houses, water treatment facilities and roads.

They serve as the lead unit for U.S. troops in Korea and also send troops to the Pacific Rim and Europe. The 412th Engineer Command is stationed at the George Morris Reserve Center and formed in 1923.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ordered the first major deployment of 25,000 troops to the Persian Gulf Dec. 24, 2002. The Pentagon plans to have 100,000 troops in the area by Jan. 31. Rumsfeld is deploying troops in case war begins in Iraq, which has until Jan. 27 to report on compliance with searches for weapons on mass destruction.

The 412th is the only direct-deploying unit, which means soldiers deploy from Vicksburg instead of stationing at another unit before going overseas. It also means training is very important, which means soldiers have to travel.