Planning Director Beyard Returns to Kuwait After R&R

Westminster's Department of Planning, Zoning and Development Director Thomas Beyard departed for a 400-day rotation with the Maryland Army National Guard late last summer.

Beyard joined the Guard in 1997 after years with the Army Reserve. He has worked for the city of Westminster for close to 24 years.

Until his return, his position is being filled by interim Director Steve Horn.

Beyard sends occasional correspondence to Patch and we will post his letters and photos as we receive them.

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Hi, I just finished a nice mid-tour two-week leave. We call it R&R, which means rest and recuperation leave.  I returned to Westminster, Maryland and had the opportunity to enjoy time with my family and friends and to just take it easy. I enjoyed it and I am now back in Kuwait.

It was starting to get hot when I left, but now the “heat “ is really upon us as we enter our last 90 days of deployment and prepare to return home. By heat, I mean temperatures that have already reached 114 degrees! I know you have heard the phrase – “Its not the heat, it’s the humidity”. Well I can tell you that 114 degrees is very hot, humidity or not. The air has the feel of what it feels like when you open an over door. I expect the temperatures will reach 125-130 degrees before we leave in August. It is just so easy to dehydrate if you are not careful. Military bases over here supply plenty of free bottled water. We keep it cold and it is always available for our Soldiers.  We just have to make sure they drink it.

Right now we are completing final preparations for our 29th CAB NCO/Solder of the Year Best Warrior Competition. Our various battalions have been selecting their competitors and the event will occur over a 3-day period from 20-22 May. The competition will include a 6+ mile road march with 35 pound ruck sack, weapons qualification (M16/M4), Army Physical Readiness Test (pushups, situps and 2 mile run), land navigation, hands-on warrior tasks, plus a final board. At the end of the competition, we will name the best NCO and Soldier in the 29th CAB. It will be an exciting event as the competitors do their best. I will be at the events and know that it will be very exciting for all to see.

Our unit is also now heavily involved in exercises with our regional partners. We are working with the governments of Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to enhance interoperability and build the foundation for regional peace and stability. These engagements provide our units the ability to exercise our capability to deploy forces and operate in field conditions. We improve our readiness by constantly improving by working with our regional partners.  I am very proud of the ability of our Soldiers and leaders to adapt to change and make the best of whatever situation comes our way.

As our unit is in the final months of deployment, some of our other units have already re-deployed as their deployment cycle was different than our cycle. We were mostly National Guard units, but now we have units representing all three components – we have an active duty unit (soon to be two), an Army Reserve unit and the rest are all Army National Guard. This creates its share of challenges, as each component does business just a little differently. But it is great experience and we are all making new friends for life.

I recently was reading an article and heard these words - some of our citizens wake-up each day and enjoy freedom, while other citizens wake-up each day and defend freedom. The Soldiers I serve with are part of the class of defenders of freedom. They defend our way of life each day and I am proud to serve with each and every one of them. History will show that our Soldiers are part of something very special. Each has made a huge commitment to our nation, supported by their families and loved ones, and their contributions will never be forgotten. I thank each of my Soldiers, their families and loved ones for what you do. I will do my very best to make sure each Soldier returns home safely in August, hopefully in better condition than when they deployed last summer.  

Regards, Tom