LI soldiers honored as they deploy to Afghanistan

Pvt. Joseph C. Grimaldi admitted a touch of nervousness about his trip to Afghanistan - the 19-year-old Hicksville resident said his war service will be his longest stretch without sharing a bedroom with his twin brother, Salvatore.

Spc. Nurgalim Bibolov, 43, of Sheepshead Bay, had no such apprehension. The Russian native, who came to the United States seven years ago and said he also spent three months in Afghanistan as a member of the Soviet army in the mid-1980s, considers serving abroad "my work - I am a soldier."

Grimaldi and Bibolov were among the 12 men of the Army Reserve's 455th Engineering Detachment who were honored in a deployment ceremony Sunday at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Amityville.

About 300 family members, military officers, veterans and politicians packed into an assembly room to bid the men goodbye and good luck.

The group, which is based in Amityville and was formed in September 2008, will be going to Afghanistan for the first time to spend 400 days building roads, and other infrastructure as part of the war effort, military officials said.

The group includes three Long Islanders, all privates - Grimaldi, Nelson Caicedopotes of Bay Shore and Michael Russotti of Lynbrook. The rest of the group are from Brooklyn, Bronx, New Jersey, North Dakota and Puerto Rico.

Grimaldi's grandfather, Charles Cangelosi of Middle Village, who served in the Navy in peacetime, said he was proud of his grandson, but wants him back safely.

"Nine years is too long," Cangelosi said of the military activities in Afghanistan. "But I'm very proud of him."

The men head to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin Monday and leave for Afghanistan in a month, said Sgt. Charles M. Vanblarcom, their supervisor. The group is likely to be stationed in Kandahar, he said.

A battery of politicians, including Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto and State. Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset), attended the event. Venditto asked the crowd to honor the soldiers' "hard work and sacrifice."

Brig. Gen. David Weeks, commander of the 411th Engineer Brigade, of which the 455th is a part, said: "There is very little infrastructure in Afghanistan. They will be very busy."

Grimaldi described his emotions as "a little scared, a little nervous, but very excited."

Bibolov said he just hopes the group returns home safely.

"Nobody wins in Afghanistan," he said.