September marks the start of the school year for our children, and the Labor Day weekend was the unofficial end of summer. Where did it go?

For a lot of us, the fall season is when we returned from war. Our brave 116th CAV returned to Post Falls in the fall from not one, but two tours of duty in Iraq. Hayden's 455th Engineers of the Army Reserve returned with a chest full of Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts. Being one of the most decorated units in the Iraqi Theater of War, it dons the army's Valorous Unit Award. Equivalent to a Silver Star, the citation reads "...[the unit] displayed extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy... The Battalion significantly reduced casualties resulting from improvised explosive devices for both friendly forces and the Iraqi civilian population." It also earned the Navy Unit Commendation for service with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The citation reads "The personnel of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) transformed the future of the Anbar Province of Iraq while combating a brutally persistent insurgent threat across a battle space spanning more than 50,000 square miles... redefined the concept of valor to meet the unique demands of counterinsurgency operations..."

The 18-month deployment of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team in 2004 included training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Polk, La., for their combat mission. Late in 2004, the Brigade deployed in support of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to the northern part of Iraq to the oil rich city of Kirkuk. Its mission included training the Iraqi army and police forces, as well as providing security for national elections. "Operation New Dawn" was the next Iraqi mission in 2010 for the them. The brigade deployed in September on a mission to provide force protection in various locations, and was Headquartered at Camp Victory at Saddam's (Aw Faw) Water Palace in Baghdad, about five kilometers from BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). The Brigade returned a year later.

Soldiers in the 116th BCT earned their "gold spurs" for combat duty with a Cavalry unit. Though unofficial, the Army recognizes Cavalry units with spurs and Stetsons to honor the tradition of the Cavalry horse soldiers on the frontier. Recently, the Army has authorized its new Class "A" uniform to reflect its frontier army. The current "greens" will be authorized until 2014, then the new blue and gold Army Service Uniform will be the standard. Along with the gold spurs, silver spurs can be earned in a non combat role by soldiers in a cavalry unit participating in specific individual tasks and battle drills. An arduous process at best, but the results are worth it. Who wouldn't want to show off their accomplishments with uniform adornments of spurs and a Stetson?

Joyous homecomings also bring remembrance of the fallen soldiers who gave it all, and those who were combat wounded. As in many wars, there are casualties. Recently Marines of the "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines lost nine marines in four days fighting it out in Afghanistan. Personally I knew five soldiers in my advisor unit and 5 from ancillary units who ran missions with us in Iraq pay the ultimate price, and the several Iraqi soldiers who died bravely. It was not until I experienced war did I fully understand what my father told me about being glad it was the other guy and not him. He served in the Army during World War II in the Philippines, and related stories of snipers strapping themselves in coconut trees, indiscriminately killing American soldiers. Of course there are no coconut trees in Iraq or Afghanistan, but there is an abundance of Improvised Explosive Devices that accomplished the same thing for the enemy.

September starts and ends with events important to us. Let us remember what is important!

Jack Evensizer is a resident of Dalton Gardens.