| Capt. Joe Tryon, Sgt. Nick Manzanares and Pvt. Ken Labrum stand in front of the Doughboy Statue at the Price Peace Gardens discussing the meaning of the statue which serves aas a tribute to Carbon County veterans. The Army Reserves were called to active duty Dec. 26 and will report to duty Jan. 2 where they will begin training for their mission which is currently unknown. |
As the United States becomes more actively involved in foreign affairs, military personnel from across the nation have been called to serve the country.
Last Thursday, U.S. Army reservists with the 438th Military Police Detachment were called to active duty, including three residents of the Carbon County area.
Capt. Joe Tryon, Sgt. Nick Manzanares and Pvt. Ken Labrum will report Jan. 2 to Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, where they will be stationed for one week.
From Salt Lake City, the three will transfer to Fort Carson in Colorado for two weeks of training. From Colorado, the local reservists will travel to an undisclosed location.
The soldiers are part of the Army’s military police force. The law enforcement detachment is made up of five branches, including a military police desk team, force protection team, traffic accident team and the military police team or a group of detectives.
Tryon is the commander of the 438th detachment. The lifelong Carbon County resident will serve as the officer who decides which soldiers move to active duty after completing training.
A graduate of Carbon High, Tryon enlisted in the military in 1987 and will leave behind a wife and three kids.
After returning to the Carbon County area, Tryon will continue to work as an adult probation and parole officer with the Utah Department of Corrections.
“The interesting thing about the military troops currently serving the country is that they are all voluntarily fighting for our freedom,” pointed out the captain.
“Because these troops are all voluntary, the military is lined with high quality people who bring various backgrounds to the forefront. These are men and women who have families and work regular jobs for a living before they are called to serve. They each have made the personal choice to fight for our freedom,” explained Tryon.
Manzanares has dedicated his adult career to the United States military. On a regular basis, he works as an Army recruiter.
Now that the sergeant has been called to active military service, Manzanares will leave behind a wife in order to perform his duties as a detective.
Labrum was born in Price and raised in Emery County, but calls Carbon County home. The 19-year-old will serve on the desk team.
Labrum enlisted in the service in 2001 and looks forward to serving the country.
As the reservists prepared for the upcoming mission, Tryon recalled what President George W. Bush stated earlier in the year:
“In every generation, the world has produced enemies of freedom. They attack America because we are freedoms home and defender. The call of our fathers is now the commitment ours.”