Ropte Headed To Hungary

While other troops are heading for the Gulf, or maybe because those troops are going to the Gulf, one Warsaw man may soon be on his way to Eastern Europe.

Lance Ropte, manager of the Warsaw Municipal Airport, was recently alerted that his Air Traffic Control Squadron in the Michigan Air National Guard could be on its way to Hungary by mid-March.

"Last weekend we got our final shots, mobility bags, chemical warfare gear," Ropte, 49, said Monday. "Now we have to take care of our personal stuff, like finances, powers of attorney, wills, etc."

Ropte, a master sergeant in the Air National Guard, said he is going to Hungary in support of the Bosnian peace accord in "Operation Joint Guard."

He expects to leave in March, and his return to Warsaw may be as early as midsummer, but is open-ended.

"We could be over there a lot longer than we expect," he said. "I don't know how long we're going to be there. I have no idea."

He said his squadron will provide air traffic control for military and civilian flights. They are specially trained in radar flight control.

"I've spent more time in radar than control tower," he said.

Ropte has been in the Air National Guard for 15 years, originally serving out of Fort Wayne. His unit moved from Fort Wayne to Michigan and he stayed with them.

While he knows his absence will pose a hardship for his family, he is still excited about the mission.

"In a way I am kind of looking forward to it - we've trained all these years for it and this is the first time I'll actually be deployed," he said.

Ropte's Warsaw Airport job will be filled by someone already in the department, said Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins.

Ropte said most of the major projects at the airport are done, and the others, such as the runway extension and removal of the old fuel farm, will be done when he gets back.

Though he's been issued a flak jacket, he doesn't expect to be in any personal danger while he's in Hungary, Ropte said. "No one's been killed in Bosnia. No one's been killed in Hungary," he said.

His unit will live in tents while in Hungary and will have access to e-mail for friends and families to keep in contact.