The Vermont National Guard is gearing up for a deployment that could send up to 1,800 soldiers to Afghanistan by year’s end.
Congressman Peter Welch, who just got back from a six-day Middle East swing that included a stop there, says the soldiers will deploy in November or December to train Afghan troops and police.
Capt. Kate Irish, a Guard spokeswoman, says the move is still officially only a "potential deployment," and that orders are typically given about six months before departure.
She says the Vermont troops will keep preparing until then.