Spring Break
Student soldiers prepare for final days in Oregon before deployment
Forty OSU students leave in a week for final training as part of Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade
Makenna Bishop
Issue date: 5/5/09 Section: News
By Makenna Bishop
The Daily Barometer
After months of training and preparations for war, 40 Oregon State students, all part of the Oregon National Guard, will soon be deployed to Iraq.
Monday morning, at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, the National Guard 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in a mobilization ceremony that served as an official send-off for those heading to their last leg of training before being shipped to Iraq.
The 41st Infantry was created in 1917 and saw active service in both World Wars. It was originally filled with National Guard units from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. In 1965, however, the division became recognized as a separate brigade with the Oregon Army National Guard.
Yesterday's ceremony was one of four mobilization ceremonies held in Oregon, and was held to honor the nearly 2,700 soldiers who will leave in less than a week to attend final training at Camp Stewart, Ga.
According to a press release by the Oregon Military Department, the ceremonies are held to give local communities an opportunity to send the soldiers off with their best wishes.
This will be the largest deployment of the Oregon National Guard since World War II. The soldiers will spend two months in training followed by 10 months in Iraq.
Chris Topham is one of the Oregon State students who will fly to Georgia on Saturday for final training before deployment.
Topham joined the National Guard in 2001 after Sept. 11. He said his grandfather and dad were both part of the National Guard, but it was that day's events that motivated him to sign up as well.
Topham said the ceremony yesterday was filled with speeches by different military officials and gave the official "goodbye" to the soldiers.
It was the last official time for soldiers to say goodbye to their communities and families. Topham said he's ready to pack his bags to leave.
The mobilization ceremony featured 500 soldiers and had the support of nearly 2,000 community members. Topham said the support for troops in Oregon has been great right from the start.
The Daily Barometer
After months of training and preparations for war, 40 Oregon State students, all part of the Oregon National Guard, will soon be deployed to Iraq.
Monday morning, at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, the National Guard 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in a mobilization ceremony that served as an official send-off for those heading to their last leg of training before being shipped to Iraq.
The 41st Infantry was created in 1917 and saw active service in both World Wars. It was originally filled with National Guard units from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. In 1965, however, the division became recognized as a separate brigade with the Oregon Army National Guard.
Yesterday's ceremony was one of four mobilization ceremonies held in Oregon, and was held to honor the nearly 2,700 soldiers who will leave in less than a week to attend final training at Camp Stewart, Ga.
According to a press release by the Oregon Military Department, the ceremonies are held to give local communities an opportunity to send the soldiers off with their best wishes.
This will be the largest deployment of the Oregon National Guard since World War II. The soldiers will spend two months in training followed by 10 months in Iraq.
Chris Topham is one of the Oregon State students who will fly to Georgia on Saturday for final training before deployment.
Topham joined the National Guard in 2001 after Sept. 11. He said his grandfather and dad were both part of the National Guard, but it was that day's events that motivated him to sign up as well.
Topham said the ceremony yesterday was filled with speeches by different military officials and gave the official "goodbye" to the soldiers.
It was the last official time for soldiers to say goodbye to their communities and families. Topham said he's ready to pack his bags to leave.
The mobilization ceremony featured 500 soldiers and had the support of nearly 2,000 community members. Topham said the support for troops in Oregon has been great right from the start.
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jim
posted 5/05/09 @ 6:31 PM PST
May God speed these Special Patriotic young men!! THANK YOU for your service to our Great country!
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