3,500 of 45th may deploy
National Guard: Brigades from three other states expect orders, too
Summer of 2008 called likeliest time for Iraq duty.

By Bryan Dean
Published: February 1, 2007
Modified: January 31, 2007 at 2:00 pm

About 3,500 members of the Oklahoma National Guard could be sent to Iraq as early as January 2008, military officials said Wednesday. The deployment — which would be the largest for the Oklahoma National Guard since the Korean War — more likely will be in the summer of 2008, officials said.

More Info

The 45th Brigade Combat Team

Maj. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III

Oklahoma national guard

•About 700 Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are currently deployed in various countries.

•Since 9/11, 5,400 Army National Guard and 4,000 Air National Guard members from Oklahoma have mobilized.

•Military officials said soldiers between the ages of 17 and 58 will be included if the 45th deploys to Iraq.

Response from Oklahoma's congressional delegation:

"These Oklahomans are selfless patriots. Under today's proposed call-up, Oklahoma's 45th Infantry Brigade would not deploy until April of 2008. Much could change between now and then. We could be in a drawdown by that date; I certainly hope that is the case. Our state and country are proud of these Oklahomans who unselfishly volunteer to answer the nation's call to duty.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe,

R-Tulsa

"To the families and members of the Oklahoma National Guard deployed to Iraq we owe our thanks and admiration for their sacrifice in service of our country. I will keep our soldiers and their families in my prayers. I remain concerned with the current policy that has turned our Oklahoma Guard into an ‘operational reserve' rather than a ‘strategic reserve.' The burden on these soldiers and their families is too great. I support increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps in order to have more soldiers to bear this burden and to allow the National Guard to return to its original mission.”

Sen. Tom Coburn,

R-Muskogee

"Today's announcement is a stark reminder that the men and women fighting in Iraq are our friends, neighbors and family. My thoughts and prayers are with every single service member and their loved ones as they prepare to deploy to Iraq. Though my disagreement with the president's recent decision to escalate our commitment to the war in Iraq is well known, my support for our men and women in uniform is unwavering. I am confident in the training the soldiers of the 45th Infantry Brigade have received under General Wyatt's leadership, and I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure they receive the funding and equipment needed to carry out their mission and return home safely.”

Rep. Dan Boren,

D-Muskogee

"Oklahoma soldiers stand ready anytime their country calls on their service. While it is always difficult to hear that Oklahoma's sons and daughters may be put in harm's way, it is inspiring to see their continued willingness to do so in order to serve their country and protect our freedoms. I continue to stand by the 45th Infantry Brigade and I am glad that they and their families have the coming year to prepare for the possibility of deployment in Iraq."

Rep. Mary Fallin,

R-Oklahoma City

Maj. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, Oklahoma's adjutant general, said he got a memo Jan. 25 notifying him of the possible deployment. He met Tuesday night with his senior officers to go over the details. Commanders will notify individual soldiers during the next few days.

"We very rarely receive a notification of this sort and then a decision is made not to send them, although it has happened in the past,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt said the soldiers likely will be on active duty for a year, including pre-deployment training at an active-duty Army base. He said he has asked for further details about what the Guardsmen would be doing in Iraq, but he expects they will be conducting combat patrols and pulling security duty. Three Guard brigades in other states will be deployed about the same time as the 45th, Wyatt said. He declined to identify the other three brigades, but said all four likely would be deployed between January and June of 2008.

"The order in which they will go and the months in which they will go are still a question,” Wyatt said. "Whether they will go at all is still a question.” Wyatt could not say whether the deployment was related to President Bush's plan to put 20,000 more troops in Iraq to help deal with continued violence in and around Baghdad.

Some military units deployed to Iraq have had their deployments extended, and others preparing for deployments are being sent sooner than expected. Wyatt said the Oklahoma soldiers may be replacing some of those units.

"Initial plans for the 45th called for a rotation in the year 2010,” Wyatt said. "We have been accelerated two years.”

About 85 percent of the soldiers in the 45th Infantry Brigade already have served combat deployments, most in Iraq or Afghanistan. Two of the brigade's units are deployed now. The 1st Battalion, 180th Infantry is in Afghanistan, and the 245th Engineer Company is in Iraq. Wyatt said these soldiers will have the experience that comes with being combat veterans, but he said it will also cause additional stress.

"We understand we're asking the families and employers and soldiers to deploy again,” Wyatt said.

4,000 soldiers available

The deployment will include nearly half of the 7,500 soldiers in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. The state also has about 2,500 Air National Guard members.

Wyatt said the Guard will still be available if called upon by the governor in case of a tornado or other disaster.

"I think we could handle most of the emergencies that could possibly happen in Oklahoma,” Wyatt said.

If a large-scale disaster required a bigger response than the Oklahoma National Guard could handle, Wyatt said the state could ask for help from neighboring states.

Oklahoma soldiers responded to such a request from Colorado earlier this month when CH-47 Chinook helicopters were needed to drop hay to feed cattle during winter weather. Colorado units capable of dropping the hay were deployed in Iraq, Wyatt said.

Body armor needed

Commanders already have re-evaluated training plans in light of the possible deployment. Wyatt said much of the brigade's pre-deployment training will be handled by the Guard before the troops are activated.

Wyatt said he has pushed the Army to put the brigade on alert and issue mobilization orders as soon as possible to allow commanders access to additional equipment and other resources the troops will need. He said he hopes official orders will come in by the end of February. Body armor and some weapons are in short supply to Oklahoma Guardsmen, as National Guard units nationally have shared their resources to equip troops deploying to combat areas.

"We will not let any soldier go ... unless they are fully-equipped with all of their equipment and have all the training they need to accomplish the mission,” Wyatt said. "If we can't do that, then they're not going in.”

Contributing: Chris Casteel, Washington Bureau