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Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
October 20, 2007 By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Five of the seven Army National Guard brigades alerted Friday for likely deployments to Iraq in 2008 and 2009 did combat tours there earlier in the war, Army officials said.
Among those scheduled for mobilization is the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Fort Ruger, Hawaii. It includes units from Hawaii and Arizona. It previously served in Iraq from January through December 2005.
Of the seven, two will be used as combat brigades, replacing active-duty combat brigades now serving there. They are the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina, which served in Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005, and the 56th Stryker Brigade of the Pennsylvania Guard's 28th Infantry Division, which will be making its first deployment to Iraq as a Stryker brigade.
In addition to those two, four brigades will be used as security forces, helping to protect U.S. bases, and one brigade will run prisons. Together, the National Guard deployments total about 18,000 soldiers to replace forces already in Iraq. They do not represent a planned increase in the total size of the force, which includes 20 combat brigades and is scheduled to shrink to 15 combat brigades by July 2008.
Also scheduled to mobilize in June 2008 is Oklahoma's 45th Fires Brigade, based in Enid, with units from Oklahoma and Utah. It is expected to deploy to Iraq on a security force mission in fall 2008. Two of the brigade's battalions served in Iraq in 2003.
October 20, 2007 By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Five of the seven Army National Guard brigades alerted Friday for likely deployments to Iraq in 2008 and 2009 did combat tours there earlier in the war, Army officials said.
Among those scheduled for mobilization is the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Fort Ruger, Hawaii. It includes units from Hawaii and Arizona. It previously served in Iraq from January through December 2005.
Of the seven, two will be used as combat brigades, replacing active-duty combat brigades now serving there. They are the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina, which served in Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005, and the 56th Stryker Brigade of the Pennsylvania Guard's 28th Infantry Division, which will be making its first deployment to Iraq as a Stryker brigade.
In addition to those two, four brigades will be used as security forces, helping to protect U.S. bases, and one brigade will run prisons. Together, the National Guard deployments total about 18,000 soldiers to replace forces already in Iraq. They do not represent a planned increase in the total size of the force, which includes 20 combat brigades and is scheduled to shrink to 15 combat brigades by July 2008.
Also scheduled to mobilize in June 2008 is Oklahoma's 45th Fires Brigade, based in Enid, with units from Oklahoma and Utah. It is expected to deploy to Iraq on a security force mission in fall 2008. Two of the brigade's battalions served in Iraq in 2003.