Montana Troops Preparing for Deployment

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By Lindsey Scheetz

Story Published: Aug 31, 2010 at 9:25 PM MST

Story Updated: Sep 1, 2010 at 1:29 PM MST

BILLINGS - More than 500 Montana troops are gearing up for a year-long deployment to Iraq. They'll be a part of the 50,000 U.S. troops supporting Operation New Dawn.

For only the second time in his presidency, President Obama addressed the nation Tuesday night from the Oval Office, "Our combat mission has ended, but support has not."

Nearly 1,000 Montana soldiers are proof of that. A little more than 550 service men and women with the Montana National Guard's 163rd Calvary Regiment will deploy for Iraq in just a few weeks. The president explained their mission, "going forward, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq with a different mission: advising and assisting Iraq’s security forces; supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our civilians."

An anti-combat mission, the President said the troops would leave Iraq by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, more than 300 airmen have already started their marching orders. Members of both the 819th and 219th Red Horse Squadrons left from Great Falls Monday morning. The squadrons will spend up to eight months working overseas on engineering projects in Afghanistan and other parts of Southwest Asia.

"As we speak, Al Qaeda continues to plot against us, and its leadership remains anchored in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We will disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists," said Obama. And it's a battle.

The 819th and 219th Red Horse Squadrons left early Monday morning. They are on their way to McCoy, Wisconsin, where they will spend the next few weeks before heading overseas. In a little more than 2 weeks members of the 163rd Calvary Regiment will leave for Mississippi before deploying to Iraq.

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