The Times-News reports the Tennessee National Guard has put soldiers of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment on alert.
Members of the state’s largest military unit, with about 4,000 soldiers, were last in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. (Knox News must-see coverage of 2004 deployment.) It was the largest deployment of a unit that size since World War II. During that time, the 278th lost eight troopers in combat and two to accidents.
Military officials have said the regiment could go back again by 2010, and Guard spokesman Randy Harris says the alert does not necessarily speed up that timetable. Harris says this week’s alert means the unit has the capacity to perform a mission but does not mean they are about to deploy.
However, the 278th’s last alert notice came in 2004, shortly before mobilization orders for duty in Iraq.
Full report here.
Seventy-six West Tennessee guardsmen (30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Humbolt) were mobilized in March and 300 Road Hogs (1175th Unit out of Tullahoma) just returned home this week after their second deployment to Iraq and Kuwait.
