Sheriff's employees being deployed

By Staff
Melissa Cason
Two members of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department will be leaving soon for a tour of duty in Iraq.
Deputy Tony Behel and Corrections Officer Marsha Jackson will be heading to Iraq in the next week for a one-year deployment.
Behel has been in the National Guard for 17 years. This will be his second tour in Iraq. He will be deploying with the 203rd Military Police unit from Athens on June 12.
He has been a deputy for 10 years.
"It's my second time going to Iraq. I appreciate you for seeing me off, and I appreciate the sheriff's department for all you've done," Behel told fellow officers during a reception Thursday.
Jackson will be deploying with the 129th medic unit from Centerville. She will be a field medic in Iraq.
She has been in the National Guard for 10 years, and this is her first deployment.
Jackson has been with the sheriff's department since October 2007.
Sheriff Larry Plott called the day 'sad but very special.'
"I hope you all are sensitive to them being deployed," Plott said. "It's an honor. This is a commitment they made a long time ago. It's one thing to say 'I'm proud to be an American' and quite another to put on the gear to fight for the country that you love."
Plott urged everyone at the event to pray for Behel and Jackson, and for their families.
"They have prepared for this. They have trained, but for the families, there is no way for them to prepare for this," Plott said. "It's the unknown that gets you."
Russellville firefighter Robbie Richardson recently left for a tour in Afghanistan as well.