WATERLOO - There are two things Denver Foote of Evansdale wears with pride - John Deere green and desert camouflage fatigues.

He, and hundreds of his buddies, now have a chance to wear both.

Foote is an employee of Deere's Waterloo foundry. He is also serving in Iraq as a sergeant with the Iowa Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 133rd infantry, headquartered in Waterloo, and with armories around the state.

Foote, many his comrades in the 1/133rd and hundreds of other soldiers with local ties received a shipment of huge gift boxes last week from Iowa's Bravest, a group of John Deere workers and other community volunteers. The boxes include snacks, toiletries, games, and, this year, John Deere baseball caps.

"It is amazing to see how much John Deere green has taken over," Foote said by e-mail from Iraq. "I{M3 leave my job at night and go back to my tent to find it filled with soldiers wearing the hat with pride!"

Iowa's Bravest volunteers packaged 400 gift boxes Nov. 10 at United Auto Workers Local 838 in Waterloo. Many had arrived in Iraq by Nov. 15. That is about half the time it took last year, thanks to the U.S. Postal Service, according to Iowa's Bravest organizer Julie Ehlers. The boxes are overflowing with goodies, Foote said. "People are trading items for others that they like better, and many who have no need for all of it are giving it to people who may not have received a box, or others who enjoy something they don't," he said.

"The support we have gotten is great!" Foote said. "To be able to receive a box from not only my co-workers, friends, family and even strangers who never met me or maybe never will is just an incredible feeling. We all know there are the few who would rather not support such a cause but, we drive on, knowing that we will always outnumber those who choose that route."

The 1/133rd's duties include convoy security work.

"Our mission is going well," Foote said. "The roads are dangerous as anyplace in Iraq but the soldiers are equipped with some of the best equipment," including "outstanding" body armor and dependable vehicles with improved armor. The soldiers are detecting more roadside bombs than are being used against them.

"The morale seems to be up," Foote said. "Most soldiers have gotten the chance to participate in the Rest and Recuperation (R&R) leave program and spend two weeks at home with their families, or for those who choose to, in a different country enjoying their time."

Two soldiers from the unit have been killed in combat. Staff Sgt. Scott Nisely, 48, of Marshalltown and Spc. Kampha B. Sourivong, 20, of Iowa City died in an attack Sept. 30. Sourivong was posthumously promoted to sergeant and Nisely to sergeant first class.

The 1/133rd, nicknamed the "Ironman Battalion" for its consecutive days of service during World War II, has acquitted itself well. According to the 1/133rd's public affairs officer , 2nd Lt. Matthew Parrino, 22 soldiers have been awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, three have received the Combat Action Badge and one has received the Combat Medic Badge. Requests for numerous additional awards within the unit have been submitted.

A number of similar awards were made to "Ironman" members who had been deployed with Task Force 168 in Afghanistan in 2004. Based on information from other soldiers and family members within the unit, the Courier incorrectly reported in a Nov. 17 article that 1/133rd members receiving the C.I.B on this deployment were among the first so honored in the unit since World War II.

As is the case in Iowa, winter is coming. "With the winter months coming, comes the rain," Foote said, forcing some soldiers to relocate. The weather has dropped to the 40-degree range from 100-degrees plus less than a month ago. "All this just lets us know that the day is coming closer to completing our mission and returning home to our families we left 18 months ago." The 1/133rd is anticipated to return in the spring.

"But to receive a box filled that full, in which I am still unable to even close the box again after opening it," Foote said, makes home a little closer. "The John Deere hat will be worn every day after my work is done. To be able to relax with a little piece of home makes the day that much more manageable. Thank you all."

Iowa's Bravest has mailed more than 1,200 gift boxes containing more than 20,000 pounds of goods since the Iraq war began in March 2003.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com.

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