Thirty-five Bangor-based Maine Army National Guard soldiers are deploying to southwest Asia.
Brig. Gen. Douglas Farnham, adjutant general for the Maine National Guard and commissioner of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, announced that members of the 120th Regional Support Group will leave Maine later this summer.
The soldiers will manage facilities, provide administrative and logistical support for troop services and ensure the security of personnel and facilities on a base camp during their year long deployment, Farnham said.
In July, it was announced that six members of Bangor-based Detachment 3, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment would also be heading to Asia this fall. There are 28 members of the Maine Air National Guard currently overseas, Farnham said.
“We live in an age of uncertainty and we are a nation at war, which means the National Guard is more important than ever to the active duty military and our nation’s security,” the state’s top soldier said Wednesday. “As a result we expect both the Army and Air National Guard to remain engaged in operational deployments for the foreseeable future.”
To prepare for deployment, the soldiers did battle drills at the Plymouth Training Site.
The unit, formerly known as the 240th Engineer Group, last mobilized in
2006 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Afghanistan.
A “Heroes Send-off” — where both the soldiers and their families will be honored — is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday in the performing arts center at Hampden Academy.