If at first you don't Secede,
Try, try again.
Posted on 07/23/2002 4:04:33 PM PDT by BlownChevelle
Alabama Activates Tank Unit
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
July 18, 2002 A day after President Bush's release of a homeland defense strategy calling for the possible domestic use of U.S. military forces, Alabama activated a 300-soldier Army National Guard tank battalion as part of a homeland defense force. In a statement released Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman said the Ozark, Ala.-based 1st Battalion, 131st Armor "is equipped with modern battle tanks, the M1A1 Abrams" and "will serve in the homeland defense role within the United States."
Siegelman, commander-in-chief of the state's national guard, did not say what role the tank battalion would serve in homeland defense. In addition to the tank battalion, 200 guardsmen from Special Forces units based in Auburn and Huntsville were activated and "will conduct post- mobilization training and then deploy to undisclosed locations in support of the war on terrorism," Siegelman said. Siegelman's office forwarded questions about Wednesday's activation to the Alabama National Guard. Asked if the armored battalion was deploying with its tanks and, if so, what role they would play in a domestic role, Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Horton said: "That can't be discussed. It all will depend on the mission." Though he said he could not provide specifics, Horton said the activation was not linked to Bush's quest for use of U.S. military forces on the home front. The deployment will last one to two years, Horton said.
Copyright 2002 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Activated Guard troops here fight paperwork battle first
Special Forces soldiers called for mission in the war on terrorism
07/19/02
By SHELBY G. SPIRES
Times Business Writer shelbys@htimes.com
National Guard Special Forces troops from Huntsville don't know how long they will be gone on a special wartime mission, but they spent most of Thursday at the armory on South Memorial Parkway doing the one thing soldiers can always count on during any military exercise.
They filled out paperwork.
"There's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done whenever a unit deploys," said Lt. Col. Steve Duff, commander of the 1st Battalion 20th Special Forces Group. "We are taking care of those details now."
Duff couldn't discuss details of the unit's current mission, including what they would be doing, how long they would train for the mission, or where they would be going. Also, Duff couldn't say how long the unit would be gone.
"Our orders say for up to a period of 365 days, but the language says we can be called back earlier or that it can be extended," Duff said. "For planning purposes, the figure used is 365 days, though." More than 200 members of the 1st Battalion of the 20th Special Forces Group, who belong to units in Huntsville and Auburn, joined 500 Alabama Guard soldiers called to active duty Wednesday. About 300 soldiers from the 1st Battalion 131st Armor unit in southeast Alabama also were mobilized. The armor unit has its headquarters in Ozark and has units in Abbeville, Ashford, Florala and Samson.
Although the Special Forces battalion headquarters and support units are based in Huntsville, members come from all over the Southeast, Duff said.
"I've got people that drive here from as far away as Philadelphia and Virginia to this unit," Duff said.
There are only two Special Forces groups in the Army National Guard. The 20th Special Forces Group in Alabama and the 19th Special Forces Group based in Salt Lake City.
Duff said the spirit of the Special Forces troops is high as they prepare to leave.
"Our people were patriots before all this started," Duff said, talking about the war on terrorism. "These are all volunteers. Unfortunately, we are going to use what Uncle Sam has taught us, but my people are ready to do their jobs."
Special Forces troops generally operate independently of regular Army units. They are sent on raids behind enemy lines, sabotaging key targets and gathering information about enemy units.
Duff said the unit owes any success to the support from the home front.
"My people couldn't do this without the support of our families back here at home, or the support of the employers who have jobs waiting for them when they come home," Duff said. "This does cause some hardship on our families and at employers, but those people are patriots, and they understand why we do this. That makes a big difference to my people."
Calais, like in Calais, Maine???....lol
If so, it's already been taken over by Canada....nothing there, move along now.
If at first you don't Secede,
Try, try again.
Naw, you gotta think out of the box here. Alabama's M1A1 Abraham's tanks can fire all the way to the middle east. We can knock a hump off a camel 100 out of 100 tries.
"WIPE THEM OUT,ALL OF THEM"
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
And I always thought it was Bora Bora (not to be confused with Tora Bora)..jpg)
Leni
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