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Local Guard prepares for Iraq

May-26-2008 » Filed Under: 56th SBCT

By STEVE MARRONI, Evening Sun

Especially in times of war, most people know Memorial Day is a day set aside for more than firing up the grill with family, friends and neighbors.

This weekend, many soldiers with the local National Guard unit will be doing just that. Hot dogs, hamburgers, parades, ceremonies.

But they, and their families, will have something else in the back of their minds. Those soldiers will soon be serving in Iraq.

The 100 or so members of Battery A of the First Battalion of the 108th Field Artillery, based in Hanover, will be among the 4,000 Pennsylvania Guard members deploying to Iraq with the 56th Stryker Brigade.

The battery was put on alert in October, and since then has been busy getting ready for this deployment - the largest deployment of Pennsylvania Guard soldiers since the Korean War.

The unit expects to leave for training, probably in September or October, and ship out to Iraq likely in January.

They're going through the range of emotions from excitement to fear, according to unit members. But the soldiers say they're ready to do the job they've been trained to do.

Getting ready to go

Battery commander 1st Lt. Todd Hinkle said the unit has been training hard for this since they received their alert orders. Drill weekends are packed with training. It's been a long and involved process, and a lot of it is fairly new for many. [...]


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