Sailor returns from Diego Garcia Island

Island is home to U.S. naval airstrip

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- When Jared Budenski shipped out for a tiny, u-shaped coral island in the Indian Ocean a year ago, little did he realize he would playing an important role in America's war on terrorism.

But as Cryptologic Technician Maintenance 3rd Class Budenski told members of his old Boy Scout troop, Knights of Columbus Troop 25, at Holy Trinity Middle School Monday night, being assigned to Diego Garcia Island put him on one of the closest jumping-off spots to Afghanistan. The island is home to a U.S. naval airstrip.

As he told the Scouts, including his brother Jordan, 17, there's a lot now that he can't say about his tour there, but still there's a lot that can be told.

He brought back three large scrapbooks, filled not only with pictures but also with samples of all 36 leaflets dropped on Afghanistan by the United States and its allies in the war against terrorism.

"Unfortunately, I can't read what's written on them," Budenski said, "because they're in Arabic, but the different images on them are pretty interesting."

The New Ulm Senior High School graduate of 1996 purposely set out to collect all 36 leaflets, just like he collected 60 merit badges, a troop record, during six years of scouting.

And, because becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest award in scouting, he attained that as well. Before his tour on Diego Garcia (or DeeGar as Navy types call it) was over, he received the Junior Sailor of the Year award for his command, Naval Security Group Detachment.

Son of Ken and Karen Budenski of New Ulm, Budenski has been an over-achiever at everything he does. He graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University at Mitchell, S.D., with degrees in criminal justice and psychology in less than 3 1/2 years.

Because Diego Garcia is a small island only about 7 miles wide and 15 miles long, activities on the island are centered around physical fitness "because that means military readiness." A T-shirt is given the sailors for each activity, and Budenski told the Scouts he has 97 T-shirts "which means I was in 97 different events."

He and the others stationed on Diego Garcia received first word of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by military e-mail. "When I got off, I went back to the barracks and watched CNN. I just couldn't believe it," he said.

The attacks triggered the highest security alert, Lock-Down Delta, on the island. Because his duties included being "a part-time policeman," Budenski was put on security duty, working 12- to 15-hour shifts "in the intense heat." He also was assigned to duty on three different warships that were in port at the time.

"We got locked down for weeks on end," he told the Scouts. "I got about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night because of all the aircraft flying overhead. But I felt 100 percent safe while I was on the island."

Budenski is home on 30-day leave before leaving for his next assignment which will be in England, with NSGA at Menwith Hill for a year. Which is only fitting because Diego Garcia is a British dependency.

Budenski has four more years to serve on his current tour.

"The Navy has been really good to me. I've been to eight countries in two years," Budenski explained, referring to his future. "I'm going to see what the six years bring me before making any decisions."