A member of the 414th Military Police Company of Joplin is home for a 15-day stint.
Granby Mayor Paul Ferguson, an Army reserve sergeant who was deployed in March to Afghanistan, arrived back in Granby last week.
He and his unit have been stationed at a detention facility in Afghanistan.
“We have basically been tasked the control, custody and care of all of the detainees in the Afghan theater,” Ferguson said. “I can tell you right now they are housing more than 800 prisoners. The job is not a physically taxing job, but it is very mentally taxing, 12 hours a day. We guard and take care of their needs.”
Ferguson sat down with the Neosho Daily News and talked about what he has been doing since coming home.
Q: How does it feel to be home?
“It is a relief. It was a three-day trip getting here and it was well worth every minute of it. You have that anxiety built up... It is going to be hard to leave, though.”
Q: What are some of our goals while you are home with your family?
“Me and my wife (Katrina) have a project car, we have a classic 1966 Mustang we have been restoring and I am trying to get it home. I’m trying to catch up on things in Granby, take care of some things around the house and we are going to take a little vacation up to, I think, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.”
Ferguson has three children: Christian, John and Wyatt. When he arrived at the Springfield Airport, he got to see John, Wyatt and his wife. His older son lives in Arizona and had not contacted him yet.
Q: Are you going to be at the Granby City Council meeting on Tuesday?
Yes, try to be there, as acting mayor.
Q: Have things changed in Granby since you have been gone?
“I am still catching up on things. I have seen a few changes. Things change while you are gone.”
This is the third time Ferguson has been deployed. His first stint was in Guantanamo Bay and this makes his second time to Afghanistan.
Q: Are you counting down the days until you come home?
“I try not to keep track of days. The days are long, but the months are fast. There are guys that have their countdown calendars, they cross them off every day, religiously. I just told them I don’t want to know how many days I have got left.”
