Nearly 400-Iowa National Guard Soldiers are being mobilized at the end of September in the largest single-unit deployment since 2010.
The soldiers are with an Aviation Support Battalion. They come from Boone, Waterloo, Davenport, and Muscatine.
The Iowa National Guard says the soldiers will first head to Fort Hood Texas for additional training, then overseas to the Central Command Theater of Operations, which includes 20-nations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
Thirty solders are with Detachment 1, Company A in Muscatine. Seventy five are with Headquarters Support Company and Detachment 4, Company B in Davenport. Approximately 105 soldiers are with Company A, Detachment 3, Company B out of Waterloo. The largest group, 180 soldiers are from Boone's Detachment 1, Headquarters Support Company and Company B.
Send-off ceremonies will be held at various times on Friday, September 29th.
The soldiers include test pilots, logistical support experts, and aircraft maintainers.
A total of approximately 500 Army National Guard Soldiers with detachments from four other states (Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee and Wisconsin) will be mobilized for this mission, which includes the 390 Soldiers from the Iowa Army National Guard.