[Peace-discuss] more cannon fodder

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

4 Major Guard Units Alerted for Iraq Duty
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
Filed at 5:51 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- About 18,000 National Guard soldiers from four major units 
have gone on alert for likely deployment to Iraq late this year or in early 
2005, the Pentagon said Monday.

The announcement underscores the deepening involvement of Guard and Reserve 
forces in U.S.-led efforts to quell the insurgency in Iraq and stabilize the 
country. So far 45 Guard and Reserve members have been killed in action in Iraq 
and 42 more have died of nonhostile causes.

The Guard units alerted are the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters from the 
New York National Guard, the 256th Infantry Brigade from Louisiana, the 116th 
Cavalry Brigade from Idaho and Oregon, and the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment 
from Tennessee.

They will be mobilized over the next several months to conduct training 
before their new assignment, the Pentagon said.

The 42nd Infantry Division from New York will be the first National Guard 
division headquarters to serve in Iraq; other Guard division headquarters have 
served in the Balkans in recent years.

With receipt of the alert notices, members of those units are prevented from 
leaving the service until 90 days after their mobilization ends.

The Pentagon did not say how long they would be on active duty, suggesting it 
may be less than the 12-month tours required of Guard and Reserve members now 
in Iraq and of those heading to Iraq this spring. Under the presidential 
authority used to mobilize for Iraq, they could be kept on active duty for up to 
two years.

The Guardsmen will be part of a larger force, probably totaling about 100,000 
active duty and reserve troops, that is expected to take over for the 
contingent just beginning a one-year tour in Iraq.

The length of their mobilization depends on how much training they need as 
well as the requirements of the Central Command commander, Gen. John Abizaid, 
who manages the Iraq operation.

The Pentagon said additional Guard forces will be alerted and mobilized for 
Iraq duty, but did not say how many or from which states. Officials said these 
probably would be combat support and service support units that will be 
mobilized after the combat units go on active duty.

The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment from Tennessee has about 4,500 members, 
and at least 4,000 of them have been placed on alert, according to Tennessee 
Guard spokesman Randy Harris. They include three cavalry squadrons, headquartered 
in Athens, Kingsport and Cookeville, as well as a support squadron based in 
Knoxville. Harris said the 278th has not been mobilized for active duty since 
the Korean War, more than 50 years ago.

The Louisiana Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade, with about 3,800 soldiers, 
received its alert order Monday, said Dusty Shenofsky, spokeswoman for the state 
adjutant general's office. She said the brigade was on active duty most 
recently during the 1991 Gulf War.

The affected units include the 1st battalion of the 156th Armor in 
Shreveport, the 2nd battalion of the 156th Infantry in Abbeville, and the 3rd battalion 
of the 156th Infantry in Lake Charles.

``The folks in these units will need to start letting their civilian 
employers know,'' Shenofsky said. ``They will also want to start doing things like 
making sure their medical records are up to date, making sure they have wills and 
arranging for child care if they are single parents.''

The 116th Armored Brigade, with units in Idaho and Oregon, includes Oregon's 
3rd battalion of the 116th Cavalry, headquartered in La Grande, as well as 
elements of the 1st battalion of the 82nd Cavalry, at Bend.

Spokeswoman Kay Frystad said the Oregon Guard already has 2,400 soldiers on 
active duty for Iraq, including 700 from an infantry battalion that is about to 
enter Iraq.

The alert order applies to approximately 1,000 soldiers with the 42nd 
Infantry Division headquarters in Troy, N.Y., said Scott Sandman a spokesman for New 
York's division of military and naval affairs.

The alerts were issued well in advance in order to give the Guard members 
adequate time to prepare for the likelihood of being mobilized. Many Guardsmen 
and some members of Congress complained that earlier mobilizations for Iraq came 
with little notice.

The Pentagon is relying heavily upon Guard and Reserve troops in Iraq.

Three Guard brigades -- from Arkansas, North Carolina and Washington state -- 
are part of the current troop rotation, which is in midcourse. They will 
spend a full year in Iraq, to be replaced by the newly alerted Guard units, if the 
Pentagon's current projection of troop requirements remains steady.

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On the Net:

Defense Department at http://www.defenselink.mil

National Guard: http://www.ngb.army.mil/