Army National Guard Soldiers Deploy Overseas

CAMP SHELBY, MISS. (05/09/2012)(readMedia)-- More than 450 New York Army National Guard Soldiers departed for their nine-month deployment in Afghanistan yesterday and today, May 9.

The Soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry and departed from Camp Shelby where they had prepared for deployment since February. Their training included a training rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

The battalion task force includes Soldiers from communities in Glenville, Gloversville, Ithaca, Morrisonville, Ogdensburg, Saranaca Lake and Utica, where the battalion headquarters is based.

More than 1,700 New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, with headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y., mobilized for Active Duty in January and reported to Camp Shelby for post-mobilization training. All of the brigade elements are now serving overseas.

"This closes a long chapter in our deployment," said Col. Geoffrey Slack, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. "Now we settle down into mission accomplishment and maintaining as much situational awareness as possible."