By Mike Phillips
East Valley Tribune
Soldiers with a Mesa-based Army Reserve unit are on a year-long deployment, but it hasn’t stopped them from contributing to nearby civilian communities in need.
While serving to support the Fort Bliss, Texas, Mobilization Brigade, members of the 653rd Regional Support Group are pitching in to assist the children of nearby El Paso.
The west Texas community was the site of a horrific mass shooting in August. Shortly after this tragic event, the soldiers of the 653rd delivered goods and renovated playgrounds of the Child Crisis Center of El Paso.
It was part of an ongoing effort by unit member Capt. Jerald Bodden.