The Iowa Army National Guard 'Ironman Battalion' has received orders for a deployment to the Mideast.
The United States Army made the announcement on Thursday but it was first announced by Major General Ben Corell, the Iowa National Guard Adjutant General during his Condition of the Guard address on January 16th.
The Iron Battalion will deploy 550 soldiers from Charles City, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Iowa Falls, Oelwein, and Waterloo. The mission involves security and force protection in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
KCRG-TV 9 reports the deployment is expected to last around a year. This is the fifth mobilization order for the Iron Battalion since 2000. Plans are in the works for send-off ceremonies, which will happen at the end of May.