Outside, soldiers huddle close to their children. Wives cling to their husbands. And even those who have no family to see them off are finding it difficult to step onto their assigned bus.

Into the center of the crowd steps an elfish figure in well-pressed fatigues. His blue eyes scan the crowd as he raises a slender finger above his head, stirring the air.

"Round 'em up," he quietly mouths.

He doesn't wait to see if the subdued order is acknowledged. He doesn't need to.

Senior enlisted men aren't generally noted for their empathy, but no one would question Darren Kirschman's understanding of his soldiers' plight. The 872nd Ordinance Company's first sergeant has done this twice before - saying goodbye to his family to fight in two previous wars.

And it has been just weeks since Kirschman was the one locked in a goodbye embrace with his wife - a first sergeant for the 146th Transportation Company - as her unit prepared to leave Utah, en route to the war.

"It was rough, it definitely was," he says. "I cried like a baby that day."

It's these experiences, as much as his demeanor, that has earned Kirschman the respect of his unit. By 1301 hours - one minute past 1 p.m. - every last soldier has boarded the bus.

"This is the finest leadership team I've ever seen," says Chief Warrant Officer Horace Hill, a 19-year veteran of the Army Reserve. "The professionalism of this command, and of the first sergeant in particular, is really incredible."

A newcomer to the unit, Hill has had less than one month to make that assessment. But the New Yorker insists he is not one for empty praise.

Like Hill, about half of the 260 men and women who received deployment orders with the 872nd hail from other units. Often composed of soldiers who have served together for a number of years, reserve units are notoriously tight knit. Newcomers sometimes find trouble breaking in.

But that hasn't been the case for Hill, nor for 1st Lt. Matt Young.

"Ever since basic training we've been being put together with strangers," Young says. "You're always being placed together and being asked to work together as a team."

A newly commissioned officer following several years as an enlisted soldier, Young understands that leadership is integral to team-building. It comes from the top down, he says.

Kirschman insists there is no magic to it. He simply projects his confidence for his soldiers. They respond in kind.

He downplays the respect he has earned in the half-year since being named the senior enlisted soldier of the 872nd.

"There's some guys who don't like me much - there is always that," he says.

But more than respect, Kirschman desires his soldier's safety and well-being. He admonishes them to stay focused, noting that inattention in a war zone can be deadly. Harking on his own experiences, he presses them to keep in contact with their families and friends back home.

They listen, taking not just his orders but his advice. Later, when training and routine set in, they may need it a bit less.

"It gets easier from here," Kirschman insists.

But for now, they look up - some with fear in their eyes, others with what appears to be pride - as he reviews the roster on each of two buses. As the drone of the engines lower and the buses roll forward, he is the last to take a seat.

mlaplante@sltrib.com

The 872nd Ordinance Company

* Approximately 260 soldiers from the 96th Reserve Readiness Command

* Based in Utah, about half the company is composed of recent augmentees from across the nation.

* The company, primarily maintenance oriented, will train at Fort Bliss, Texas, for about one month before deploying.

* Though specific Central Command orders have not yet been cut, the unit's leadership expects to be sent to Iraq.