By Lori EhdeLike many Luverne High School graduates, Spc. Suzanne Gluf and Spc. Mandy Iveland are home in Luverne for the holidays.But, as recently deployed Army National Guard members, their homecoming has been especially poignant."We were so lucky to be able to come home for Christmas," said Iveland, a 2000 LHS grad.She and Gluf, a 2003 LHS grad, and another LHS grad, Emmy Bush, were all deployed from Camp Ripley in Little Falls just after Thanksgiving. "That seems like so long ago," Iveland said about deployment.Gluf said, "The training is so intense. Every day feels like Monday. We trained every single day without a break."Fuelers are targetsThey’re members of Company A, 434th Main Support Battalion, which happens to be comprised of 50 percent women. They’ve been training in Ft. Benning, Ga., for the past three weeks.As a support battalion, members of the 434th have a variety of responsibilities. But the primary role of Iveland and Gluf’s platoon is to transport fuel and refuel Army vehicles, which includes everything from tanks and Howitzers to helicopters and trucks.The work itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, but Gluf and Iveland said fuel convoys are primary targets for enemy fire, so they’re prepared for those possibilities.For example, they’ve completed training in rifle marksmanship, convoy operations, first aid and improvised explosive devices (like car bombs)."IEDs are the biggest thing killing people and wounding people there now," Gluf said.Fuelers are also the most protected, so Gluf and Iveland said they feel relatively safe. "Those in the Marine Corps have it a lot more intense," Iveland said. "But we’re prepared for the worst."Gluf said, "… and we’re hoping for the best."Regardless, they’re armed at all times with M-16s and grenade launchers, and when they first land in Kuwait, they’ll wear "full battle rattle," as they call it, which includes flak jackets and additional weapons.They say they don’t know specifics about where they’ll be or what their mission will be, but Iveland said, "We’re pretty sure it will be in the Middle East, and we’re pretty sure it will eventually be in Iraq. … It just depends what’s going on there at the time."Holiday luxuriesJust knowing what they’re in for has made their holiday home visit a luxury.Gluf said, for example, she’s appreciated using a real bathroom (not a port-a-pot) and she’s enjoyed wearing makeup and having the time to spend on such frivolities."I actually feel like a girl again," she said.Both she and Iveland admit they like to shop, so they spent some of their time at home last weekend spending money."We get to wear our new clothes for a week, and then hopefully they’ll still be in style when we get back," Iveland said.Their 18-month deployment officially started last month, and Gluf said they have 513 days to go.The two joke about shopping and "real" bathrooms, but what they’re bracing themselves for is less contact with their loved ones.So far, they’ve been able to communicate with home via cell phones, but in a week or two, that luxury will also end. "I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in two or three months," Iveland said.Their next opportunity to be home will be May of 2006."This is going to be for the long haul," Iveland said."This is definitely it," Gluf said.So the women are now relishing every remaining moment at home."I’m very, very grateful we got to come home," Iveland said. "We are very, very lucky," Gluf said.Their parents said they feel lucky, too."There was a whole new meaning to this year," said Iveland’s mother, LaDonna, "because we know she won’t be here next Christmas."Attitude is everythingIveland and Gluf said they’ll miss their families, but they say they’re proud to serve and look forward to putting their training to use."We’re just trying to stay positive," Gluf said. "If you have a good attitude, the days go so much better."Iveland agreed."We try to make a point to laugh about something every day."Gluf, daughter of Bruce and Harveen, is a pre-med student at South Dakota State University, Brookings, working on an athletic training degree.Iveland is an English teacher at Wadena-Deer Creek High School in Wadena.The two can receive correspondence at their army e-mail addresses. Those are suzanne.gluf@us.army.mil and mandy.iveland@us.army.mil