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The winds of war are crossing the region and West Virginia.
About 85 members of the Spencer detachment of the 1092nd Engineer Battalion are headed for Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
this morning where they'll undergo several weeks of training and administrative processing. (See earlier stories in The
Herald)
These past several days soldiers have been packing and preparing for deployment at the Spencer armory, briefly interrupted
by special good-bye breakfasts and luncheons sponsored by the community. Family members and friends have been parked
around the armory most of the weekend, spending these last hours with their soldiers.
More than 500 members of the 1092nd are being sent to the Gulf Region, or as part of the homeland defense effort. The
Parkersburg battalion also has companies and detachments in Gassaway, Moundsville, Richwood, Salem, and Weston.
This is the first time since the Korean War the unit has been called to what is likely to be a combat situation.
Meanwhile, members of the National Guard's 1863rd Transportation Company have completed their accreditation at Fort
Knox, Kentucky.
They will deploy tomorrow from Oak Hill. They'll handle security operations for Air National Guard bases in Charleston and
Martinsburg.
Sixty-eight members of the 1863rd were called into active service last month for homeland defense efforts.
About 180 Army reservists from the 363rd Military Police Company based in Grafton are expected to leave soon for their
mobilization site at Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The 363rd provides area security, law and order operations, crime prevention and security of critical national resources.
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