AUGUSTA, Maine — Members of the Maine National Guard’s 136th Engineer Company who build buildings and other structures got an alert this week about a scheduled deployment to Kuwait in spring of 2016, Maine Guard spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Pete Morrison said Friday.
“It’s 15 months out, but the sourcing document is usually a good indication they will deploy,” Morrison said. “The whole unit is going to deloy.”
The timeframe allows the 160-member unit time to train and prepare for their mission, he said. The unit was sourced to deploy to Iraq in 2009, but the deployment was canceled.
Brig. Gen. James D. Campbell, adjutant general for Maine, was notified by the National Guard Bureau on Tuesday that all 160 members of the Skowhegan and Lewiston-based unit would be heading to Kuwait in support of the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The unit’s members “specialize in carpentry, masonry, electrical and plumbing,” a press release from Morrison states.
The unit has supported multiple mobilizations throughout the United States and to other countries for training. Missions include Operation Jump Start in Nogales, Arizona, and Hurricane Irene response in Rutland, Vermont. They also have conducted training in Hohenfels, Germany, and supported Beyond the Horizons in El Salvador.
“By using our National Guard soldiers in real world missions and operations, our Guard members will remain trained and ready to answer the call of our state and nation,” Morrison said.