Approximately 2,700 Minnesota National Guard soldiers could be headed to Iraq and Kuwait next summer.
The Bloomington-based 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry “Red Bull” Division has been ordered to place soldiers on alert for a possible one-year mobilization to begin in the summer of 2011.
The deployment would be in support of Operation New Dawn, the name of the U.S. drawdown phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division consists of 37 units from 42 Minnesota communities. The final list of deploying units will be determined and announced in early 2011. During this deployment, Minnesota Army National Guard Soldiers are expected to provide security operations in support of U.S. Forces.
In 2005 the 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed with 4,000 soldiers from several states, including 2,600 from Minnesota, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The tour was extended in support of the President Bush's “troop surge,” before returning in August 2007, earning the distinction of serving the longest combat tour of any military unit in Iraq.
The 1st Brigade Commander, Col. Eric Kerska, is expected to formally announce the alert at a press conference this afternoon.
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