Alabama National Guard deploys historic infantry unit again

Release 2012061501

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A search and extraction team from the 167th Infantry Battalion rolls into a training village to locate and rescue a role player that has been captured by enemy forces. (Photo by Spc. Brenda Thomas)

MONTGOMERY, AL (06/15/2012)(readMedia)-- The Alabama Army National Guard's 1/167th Infantry Battalion, headquartered in Talladega, with its subordinate units, has been called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

As the unit departs, there will be several departure ceremonies for the units within the battalion.

Company A, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, out of Valley, will have a departure ceremony in Valley at West Point Lake, at noon EDT, Friday, June 22, 2012.

Company B, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, out of Pelham, will have a departure ceremony in Pelham at the National Guard armory, 1000 Yeager Parkway, at 6 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2012.

Company C, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, out of Cullman, will have a departure ceremony in Cullman at Cullman Fair Grounds, 1501 Sportsman Lake Road Northwest, at 11 a.m., Friday, June 22, 2012.

Company D, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, out of Sylacauga, will have a departure ceremony in Sylacauga at the Sylacauga High School, 701 Broadway Ave. N., at 3:30 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2012.

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, and Company E, 167th Infantry Battalion, out of Talladega, will have a departure ceremony in Talladega at the National Guard armory, 518 Broadway Avenue, at 1 p.m., Thursday, June 21, 2012.

Company F, 1/167th Infantry Battalion, out of Oxford, will have a departure ceremony in Oxford at the National Guard armory, 33 Meadow Avenue, at 2 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2012.

In all, the 1/167th Infantry Battalion (Task Force Centurion) will deploy approximately 600 Alabama National Guard Soldiers to conduct security force missions in support of the National Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) throughout the Afghanistan theater of operations to provide freedom of maneuver for NTM-A and regional support command assets.

The 1/167th will finalize their extensive training at a mobilization station before deploying to Afghanistan later this summer.

The 1/167th has played a role in every major American war since the Civil War. The battalion still carries the lineage and honor of the 4th Alabama, which fought in the Civil War, and continues to serve with distinction today. The unit was honored at the Rainbow Division viaduct in Birmingham, Ala., this Memorial Day as the monuments on the bridge were updated; and was also honored in France last year for its battle contributions during World War I.

Local officials and senior Alabama National Guardsmen will attend each ceremony to send off the Soldiers of the 1/167th. The general public is invited and encouraged to attend each ceremony to show their support for the Soldiers and their families.

The Alabama National Guard has called more than 18,000 personnel to active duty since 9/11 and remains a top contributor among the nation's National Guard.