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The 172nd gets set

May- 5-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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Daily News-Miner

Seeing the small piles of gear awaiting loading at Eielson Air Force Base earlier this week is yet another reminder that the time is drawing near for the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's deployment to Iraq. Fort Wainwright will be a shell of itself later this summer when the unit heads into Iraq after a brief rest period from its latest training mission, this time at a major training center in Louisiana.

With the 3,800 members of the 172nd out of town until early next month, segments of the community are now getting a glimpse of what will occur beginning in August, and perhaps to a greater degree, when the unit leaves for at least a year.

The impact then will be substantial given that Fort Wainwright is such a prominent part of the Fairbanks economy and its social fabric. A state Department of Labor economist made the observation last year, and many others share the belief.


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