WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com | Volunteers to bring Mid-South soldiers home for Christmas
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By Justin Hanson - bio | email
TIPTON COUNTY, TN (WMC-TV) - A group of volunteers are heading to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to bring local soldiers home for the holidays.
A Tipton County Schools bus driver and three bus mechanics will depart early Monday morning for Camp Shelby. Once there, they'll pick up 121 soldiers stationed out of the the National Guard unit in Covington and bring them back home for a six-day visit.
"It is the right thing to do for our troops and our country, and I think it's the right thing for all of us to do," said Steve Bringle, the bus driver who will make the journey.
Volunteers are putting the final patriotic touches on the buses.
"We're all getting together, in-laws, family, we're all one big family," said Renee Perry, a family member of a returning soldier. "We spent Thanksgiving together and we will do the same at Christmas."
The troops will arrive in Covington around 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and will head back to Camp Shelby on December 28.
The soldiers will then leave for Iraq in mid-January.
Said Tipton County Schools Operation Manager Rickey Fayne, "Just hope it's a good thing for them before they go overseas and actually fight for our freedom."
If you'd like to help give the troops a big sendoff, call the Tipton County Sheriff's Department at (901) 475-3300.
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