MADISON (AP) – More than 3,400 soldiers from around the state have been alerted to serve in Iraq and Kuwait in 2009, the Wisconsin National Guard said Monday.
The Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Brigade Combat Team, which includes units in 36 Wisconsin communities, would serve along with brigades from Oregon and Mississippi, Lt. Col. Tim Donovan said in a news release.
The current plan is for about 3,450 soldiers to do base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait in the summer of 2009.
Donovan said the advance alerts help provide predictability for families and flexibility for businesses to plan for their employees' service.
The 32nd Brigade's soldiers were notified over the weekend during scheduled weekend drills.
In all, the alerts for the three states affect about 8,000 men and women, the Defense Department said.
The soldiers headed to Iraq will train for "security force" missions like defending bases and guarding convoys. However, it is difficult to know exactly how the soldiers will be used so far in advance. Conditions on the battlefield are constantly changing and the military is forced to adapt.
The brigade has units in 36 Wisconsin communities: Camp Douglas, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield, Stevens Point, Appleton, Clintonville, Waupun, Ripon, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Marinette, Eau Claire, Abbottsford, Menomonie, New Richmond, Rice Lake, Arcadia, Onalaska, River Falls, Portage, Janesville, Elkhorn, Mauston, Milwaukee, Baraboo, Madison, Waupaca, Neillsville, Mosinee, Wausau, Merrill, Onalaska, Antigo, Fort Atkinson, Watertown and Reedsburg.
Some of the brigade's units have previously served since Sept. 11, 2001. Those include:
-Eau Claire-based 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry (Iraq service from June 2004 to November 2005)
-Camp Douglas-based 32nd Brigade Headquarters (Kuwait service from June 2005 to July 2006)
-Appleton-based 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry (Kuwait and Iraq service from June 2005 to August 2006)
-Wisconsin Rapids-based 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery (Kuwait and Iraq service from August 2005 to November 2006)
-Madison-based 105th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron (formerly 2nd Battalion, 128th Infantry, with Kuwait service from August 2005 to November 2006)
-Janesville-based Company A, 132nd Brigade Support Battalion (a one-year mission in Afghanistan beginning November 2005)
-Madison-based Company B, Brigade Special Troops Battalion (formerly the 232nd Military Intelligence Company with Afghanistan service from November 2005 to January 2007).