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Washington Guard takes over supply hub

Apr-23-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

The 81st BCT, or Washington National Guard, recently made the trip up to Iraq from Kuwait and assumed control at a supply base near Baghdad.

[Link to Full Article]
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune

Members of a Washington National Guard brigade are in charge of security at one of the most important bases in Iraq.

The 82nd Airborne Division transferred responsibility for defending Logistical Support Area Anaconda to the 81st Brigade Combat Team on Sunday, the brigade reported. The base, about 50 miles north of Baghdad in Balad, is the main supply hub for U.S. forces in Iraq.

Soldiers of the 81st will staff checkpoints and security towers and run patrols around the base. They also will help train members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, Capt. Anne Marie Peacock, the brigade's deputy public affairs officer, reported via e-mail.

The 81st has about 4,000 soldiers in Iraq, the largest deployment by the Washington National Guard since World War II. The vast majority of brigade soldiers are from Washington state. Formerly known as the 81st Armor Brigade, the unit is based at Camp Murray, south of Tacoma.

Col. James Chambers, commander of the Army's 13th Corps Support Command, said protecting Anaconda is vital to Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Peacock's e-mail. The 13th Support Command is responsible for supplying U.S. military units throughout the country.


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