(Host) More Vermont National Guard troops will be called up in January to support the war in Iraq. Adjutant General Martha Rainville announced today that about 200 Vermont Guard members will be deployed to provide security for other soldiers. The exact location of their deployment isn’t known and may be outside of Iraq.
General Rainville says the deployed troops will come from the First Battalion, 86th field artillery:
(Rainville) “The call-up is an involuntary call-up. It will last up to 18 months, 12 months will be boots on the ground in the theater. And it will be Central Command theater of operations.”
(Host) This is the largest deployment of Vermont National Guard troops since the Persian Gulf war in 1991. About 115 Vermont Guard members are deployed overseas, including 50 soldiers serving in Afghanistan.