The Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade, which returned from Iraq last year, is heading back to war. This time, the state's citizen soldiers will be deployed to Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense announced Monday that the 48th brigade has been tapped to help train Afghan security forces. The brigade's 4,200 soldiers will be called up in the spring of 2009 and head overseas two months later.
Brigade commander Col. Lee Durham said his soldiers will be based throughout Afghanistan training local Army and police forces. He said the mission will not be that different from the role it played in the second half of its deployment in Iraq when Georgia soldiers provided combat security and worked closely with Iraqi soldiers.
Durham, who took command of the brigade in October, said he was excited about the impending deployment.
"I have a lot of confidence in them," he said.
Durham said most Guard units have been put on a one-year on, three years off rotation. The 48th returned from Iraq in May 2006 and will have been home for almost three years when it is mobilized again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment