By James Heffernan -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — The report from one of his subordinates couldn't be right. A two-star general in his ranks?

"You've got that wrong," Trex's new chief executive, Ron Kaplan, advised his vice president of human resources when she delivered the news that one of their own was being called into active duty.

Kaplan, who had only been on the job a few months, immediately got in his car and drove over to Trex's engineering department, where he met 52-year-old Michael Eyre, who confirmed that he was in fact a major general and that his unit was being deployed to Iraq next month to help reconstruct the war-torn country.

"You've got to have some kind of appreciation when you see those two stars on his chest," Kaplan told about 150 of his employees who gathered under a tent at the company's headquarters Thursday for a special send-off ceremony. "Think about that long, slippery pole this guy had to climb to get those stars, and he should be proud of them."

Kaplan, a seasoned corporate executive and world traveler, said in foreign capitals people will line up at the American embassy beginning at 8 a.m. to apply for a visa.

Despite all the critics of the U.S. around the world, "deep down in their heart they all want to be us," he said, "and the reason they want to be us is because we're free and because we're safe."

American soldiers help keep us that way, Kaplan said.

"From time to time, we ask them to stand in harm's way on our behalf. ... Right or wrong, we've got to go to war. And we look out across the country and we say, 'Who shall we send?'"

"Thank God we have men like this," Kaplan said, pointing to Eyre, "who stand up and say, 'Send me.'"

Eyre is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. His military career spans more than 30 years, the last 25 with the Army Reserve. He currently serves as commander of the 416th Theater Engineer Command, which includes all of the Army Reserve engineering units west of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers — some 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 civilians covering 26 states.

In Iraq, Eyre will assume command of 260 specialists charged with rebuilding the country's infrastructure, everything from oil production and electricity, to railroads and highways, to health clinics and schools. The deployment will last a little more than a year, he said.

"Our intent is ... to improve their capability and their self-reliance so that we can all return home. That's our mission."

When Eyre returns to Winchester in late 2009, his job as a packaging engineer at Trex will be waiting for him. The company plans to divvy up his duties while he's overseas.

"It's going to be a little hurtful," Kaplan said, "but we'll figure out a way to divide up his responsibilities. ... We'll miss him, but we'll be here when he gets back.

"It's a big sacrifice on these men and women and their families, and it's the least we can do as Americans to stand behind them."

Eyre said in addition to his immediate family and his Army family, he is grateful for the Trex family for its support. It was one of the driving forces that led him and his wife, Susan, sons Michael and Patrick, and daughter Megan to Winchester two years ago and to the engineering department at the composite decking manufacturer.

"From day one, Trex has embraced Mike Eyre and his entire family, Mike Eyre the engineer, and now most definitely Mike Eyre, major general," he said.

"But more importantly, as a soldier I just wish that every one of my fellow soldiers, every service member, could experience what I am here today."

The event included a singing of the national anthem by former Miss Apple Blossom Festival Jennifer Gursky, a prayer led by Eyre's pastor, and a catered barbecue lunch with patriotic songs.

Col. Joe Goetz, of Reston, operations officer with the 416th for the past 31/2 years, said Eyre is "a great boss."

"He always looks out for the welfare of the soldiers," Goetz said. "As a headquarters unit, we have a lot of high-ranking officers, but we also have plenty of young sergeants, specialists and privates. Maj. Gen. Eyre makes sure those young soldiers are taken care, and he puts them first. That's the mark of a great leader."

Eyre said the most difficult sacrifice will be time away from loved ones, but that goes with the territory.

"You're not going to see them every day. You're going to miss a lot events. But there are a lot of others who made that sacrifice, and we're committing to this mission and getting home safely."

* Contact James Heffernan at jheffernan@nvdaily.com