2008/10/23:madison.com: Brigade Will be Ready for Next Tour

Submitted by staff on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 10:51am

Brigade Will be Ready for Next Tour
madison.com
TODD RICHMOND Associated Press | Posted: Thursday, October 23, 2008 12:00 am | No Comments Posted

The Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team might be in its best shape ever to handle a massive deployment to Iraq next year, guard commanders said Wednesday.

More than half of the 3,500 or so soldiers in the brigade are combat veterans and many already have completed tours in Iraq, resulting in better preparation that should help save lives this time around, said Wisconsin Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson.

"We have a lot of operational experience we didn't have before," Anderson said. "It should translate into a much smoother transition ... to the theater of combat."

The 32nd Brigade is made up of units in 36 Wisconsin communities. Most of the brigade is made up of part-time soldiers from around Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin National Guard announced in September that as many as 3,500 soldiers from the 32nd and six other Wisconsin Army National Guard units will head to Iraq next spring for a 10-month tour.

They'll report for duty at local armories in mid-February and spend two months training at Fort Bliss in Texas before heading overseas. Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Tim Donovan has described their mission as "security," but declined to elaborate.

The deployment will be the largest of Wisconsin National Guard forces to a combat zone since World War II.

"What we've got coming up in the next 16 months is a really big deal," Donovan said. "This is a big, big animal."

The 32nd is no stranger to combat. The brigade is descended from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Division, which has served in World War I, the World War II Pacific theater and was activated during the Berlin crisis in 1961.

This time out, the brigade has plenty of firsthand experience. Anderson estimated 65 to 70 percent of the Wisconsin Army National Guard has served in a combat zone since 2001, and many are now preparing for a second or third trip to Iraq.