A number of Donegal families will see their loved ones leave them for the latest mission to Lebanon.
A total of 381 Irish soldiers are preparing to the war-thorn region as part of the UNIFIL Peacekeeping mission.
Among them are three siblings from the Inishowen peninsula.
Privates Breena (22), Sean (31) and Declan Diver (26) are from Moville.
They will all deploy together on the mission leaving Ireland in the coming weeeks.
“I am nervous and then excited,” said Breena, who will be in the force protection platoon.
“We are hearing from the lads out there that they are in bunkers a lot of the time. This is my first one so I am looking forward to going, I want to get it done.”
Declan, the eldest of the siblings has experienced foreign service before and has served in Syria where there were a lot of moments of being in “groundhog” also known as bunkers as there was fire falling nearby.
“I’ve been to Lebanon a few times too, and things are not always going to be easy. It is part of the job, get through it. The morale will be there and everyone is in the same situation,” he added.
All three siblings said their parents are worried about their children going to Lebanon.
Sean, who is also on his first trip, said: “It’s the same questions we’re getting from our family and friends – they’ve all told us they think we’re mad to be going but we know what we’ll be experiencing.
“We have the training done, we know what we’re capable of and we are ready to go and do the mission” he told The Journal.
Father and son Sergeant Major Paddy Enfield and his Private Adam Enfield will also deploy together to South Lebanon.
Paddy, from Tullygay is a veteran having completed 13 trips, and ten to Lebanon – he said it is an “honour” to serve with his son.
“It is a privilege to go out on deployment with the Defence Forces and to represent your country.
“We are going out to Lebanon where the situation has changed dramatically over the last few months and it is reminiscent of the earlier trips I was on.
“We have a very good combination of younger along with more experienced soldiers, and my message out to the families is that they are in safe hands,” he added.
The youngest soldier on the mission also hails from Donegal.
Private Máirtín Heraty (19) is from Killybegs and is just weeks out of his training and not yet a year in the military.
He previously worked in a fish factory after completing his Leaving Cert and is now planning his trip to Lebanon.
He told The Journal “I am excited with a wee bit of nerves but I am looking forward to it. I am keeping up to date about what is happening out there, it is important. I always wanted to join the army and going overseas is a big part of the life of a soldier so I decided to do it as early as I could.
“My friends are excited hearing about it but my family are nervous but they know it what I want to do but my Mam is nervous.”
