2009/03/26:Send-off ceremony Thursday in Madison for 16 Afghanistan-bound Army Guard troops

Send-off ceremony Thursday in Madison for 16 Afghanistan-bound Army Guard troops
Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs
March 26, 2009, Major Jackie Guthrie, Public Affairs Officer

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton joined National Guard officials Thursday afternoon, March 26th, to bid farewell to 16 Wisconsin Army Guard soldiers bound for Afghanistan.

The soldiers are expected to perform a one-year tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They will travel to Fort Riley, Kan., this weekend for several weeks of mobilization training before deploying overseas. Once in Afghanistan, their mission will be to train and advise a battalion-size element of the Afghan national army in order to stabilize the country and help prevent the re-emergence of terrorism. They will form part of Coalition Task Force Phoenix, which is made up of National Guard soldiers from a number of states.

The 16 soldiers are drawn from various Wisconsin Army National Guard units, with most of them — including task force commander Col. Tim Lawson — coming from the Madison-based Joint Force Headquarters.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 8,000 soldiers and airmen from the Wisconsin National Guard — more than 80 percent of the Guard’s 10,000 member force — have served on active duty. At present approximately 3,500 soldiers and airmen are on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The Guard’s remaining 6,500 members are available in Wisconsin and are fully capable of responding to homeland security or defense missions anywhere in the state or nation.