- FORT DODGE (AP) - The Iowa
Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, will be ordered
to federal active duty, the Department of Defense and the National Guard
Bureau in Washington, D.C., have announced.
-
- The battalion, headquartered in Fort Dodge, will deploy
to locations within the United States for homeland security missions as
part of Operation Noble Eagle II, Col. Robert King, public affairs officer
for the Iowa National Guard, said Wednesday in a news release. The battalion
includes units in Algona, Estherville, Spencer and Storm Lake.
-
- Duty locations are not being announced.
-
- Approximately 350 soldiers are affected, 71 of them from
the Algona sub unit, King said.
-
- The soldiers will report to their local armories Saturday
to begin home station processing at their unit armories and Camp Dodge
in preparation for their deployment and movement to their duty locations.
This will include completing administrative functions and loading their
equipment for movement.
-
- The battalion will enter into federal active duty Sept.
3, King said. They must arrive at Fort Knox, Ky., their mobilization station,
no later than Sept. 8. They will receive specialized training to further
prepare them for their assignments before moving to their stateside duty
locations.
-
- The soldiers will provide indirect fire support, using
artillery weapons accurate from a distance of 11,000 to 12,000 meters,
King said.
-
- The battalion's mobilization is critical to the accomplishment
of the Department of Defense Homeland Defense Security Plan, said King.
The Iowa soldiers will provide security at several locations. They will
take their individual equipment, individual and crew-served weapons and
all other organizational equipment. They will also use vehicles and other
equipment already in place at their duty locations.
-
- Fourteen soldiers will return to their armories after
they are in-processed at Fort Knox. They will serve as the rear detachment
and will be responsible for ongoing unit activities, such as recruiting,
family and employer support coordination and providing leadership for non-deploying
unit soldiers.
-
- The battalion is being ordered to active duty under a
partial mobilization call-up that authorizes the president to order members
of the National Guard and reserves to active duty. Duty can be extended
for an additional year by the Secretary of the Army.
-
- Local community send-off ceremonies are being planned
at each unit armory prior to Sept. 3. Details will be provided at a later
date. The public is encouraged to attend.
-
- The 1st battalion, 194th field artillery, was last ordered
to federal active duty in 1950 during the Korean War. The battalion served
duty in Germany as occupation forces.
-
- http://www.globegazette.com/local/ni3.php
|
