Gazette-Mail reporter Rusty Marks is reporting from Iraq on the contributions of West Virginia soldiers. Read more about his trip in his blog at wvgazette.com/Iraq.

TIKRIT, Iraq - Members of most military units will tell you they're just like family, but in West Virginia's 111th Engineer Brigade, they mean it.

Among the 100 or so men and women of the unit, based at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq, are nearly two complete families.

"It's in the family," said Staff Sgt. Carolyn Blankenship of Nitro, one of three Blankenships assigned to the camp.

Sgt. First Class Glen Blankenship, her husband, is in charge of a five-vehicle security patrol of heavily armored Humvees. Rachel Blankenship, their daughter, is a logistics specialist.

Glen has been in the service since 1980. Carolyn served in the Army before rejoining the National Guard in 1996. Rachel, 22, joined the West Virginia National Guard in 2006.

"I didn't join the guard for college money," she said. "I wanted to do it."

As in many West Virginia families, the military is a tradition. Military service on both sides of Rachel's family goes back generations.

"I don't know if any of us believe in the political side of it," said Glen Blankenship. "It's a family thing."

Which is not to say Glen Blankenship is not dedicated to his job - that of ferrying people safely down the dangerous roads of Iraq.

"We've been shot at," he said. "We've been blown up. We've discovered IEDs and improvised rocket launchers. We've been mortared."

Gazette-Mail reporter Rusty Marks is reporting from Iraq on the contributions of West Virginia soldiers. Read more about his trip in his blog at wvgazette.com/Iraq.

TIKRIT, Iraq - Members of most military units will tell you they're just like family, but in West Virginia's 111th Engineer Brigade, they mean it.

Among the 100 or so men and women of the unit, based at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq, are nearly two complete families.

"It's in the family," said Staff Sgt. Carolyn Blankenship of Nitro, one of three Blankenships assigned to the camp.

Sgt. First Class Glen Blankenship, her husband, is in charge of a five-vehicle security patrol of heavily armored Humvees. Rachel Blankenship, their daughter, is a logistics specialist.

Glen has been in the service since 1980. Carolyn served in the Army before rejoining the National Guard in 1996. Rachel, 22, joined the West Virginia National Guard in 2006.

"I didn't join the guard for college money," she said. "I wanted to do it."

As in many West Virginia families, the military is a tradition. Military service on both sides of Rachel's family goes back generations.

"I don't know if any of us believe in the political side of it," said Glen Blankenship. "It's a family thing."

Which is not to say Glen Blankenship is not dedicated to his job - that of ferrying people safely down the dangerous roads of Iraq.

"We've been shot at," he said. "We've been blown up. We've discovered IEDs and improvised rocket launchers. We've been mortared."

The 111th also has its fair share of Hammacks, with four of the Sissonville men serving in the unit.

Capt. Keith Hammack Jr., 29, was the first to join the unit. His father, Keith, 49, was not far behind.

"He gave me my first salute," the younger Hammack recalled.

Sgt. Roy Hammack, 46, is the elder Keith's brother. "I'm the scrounger," he said. "If somebody needs something and somebody else has it, I'm the guy."

Roy Hammack is the one the 111th has to thank for finding washers and dryers in the middle of a desert and keeping them running.

Casey, the youngest Hammack at 22 and Keith Jr.'s brother, is a gunner in Glen Blankenship's security patrol. He volunteered to join the 111th and serve beside his brother, father and uncle.

"I wanted to settle down, get my life back on track and get a little money," he offered.

Many of the men and women serving with the 111th believe things are getting better in Iraq. Glen Blankenship has seen improvements for both the Iraqi people and the Iraqi army.

"It's all due to the fact that we're here," he said.

To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.