We are supposed to excerpt all stories from the LA Times, even when they appear in places like Yahoo.
The same story was in the Houston Chronicle at:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2972152
3,000 guardsmen to get a big send-off to Iraq
At least 15,000 are expected to attend Waco event
By JOHN W. GONZALEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A spirited send-off is planned Saturday in Waco for 3,000 Texas National Guard soldiers who are heading to Iraq as part of the state Guard's largest mobilization since World War II.
At least 15,000 people are expected to attend the farewell ceremonies at Baylor University's Floyd Casey Stadium, where dignitaries including Gov. Rick Perry will bid farewell to the 56th Brigade Combat Team.
The brigade comprises dozens of armory-based units from throughout the state, including several hundred soldiers from the Houston area.
The brigade was activated for 18 months on July 2, giving the soldiers and their families several months to prepare for the deployment.
Since mid-August, the soldiers have been training at Fort Hood in Central Texas and at Fort Polk, La., and are ready to fly immediately to Iraq for at least a year of combat duty, Guard officials said.
"They've been receiving basic soldier skills training because safety is No. 1," said Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada. "We try to give them the best training we can so they're prepared to do their job."
The soldiers have a variety of specialties, including combat engineering and logistics, she added.
The combat team is part of the famed 36th Infantry Division, which originated in World War I and played a key role in World War II before being deactivated in 1968.
The division was reactivated May 1, and two months later the Pentagon said it would be part of the troop rotation known as Operation Iraqi Freedom-3.
Defense officials said the division's arrival in the war zone is timed to provide as much overlap as possible with experienced troops already in Iraq, many of whom are due to return to the United States in March.
The Guard members from Texas will be on hand to help secure the Iraqi national elections slated for Jan. 30.
Departure festivities began Thursday when several former members of the Dallas Cowboys met with the troops. Retired players, such as Tony Dorsett and Daryl Johnston, dined and mingled with 56th Brigade soldiers at Fort Hood's North Post near Gatesville.
At Floyd Casey Stadium, an Army band and three Waco choirs will entertain the New Year's Day crowd as Perry, other elected officials and numerous high-ranking Army officers salute the departing troops.
With President Bush vacationing in nearby Crawford, speculation is that he might attend the ceremonies as well.
Although most of the troops hail from Dallas, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Denton and San Antonio, several hundreds are from Houston and other Southeast Texas communities of Pasadena, Galveston, Missouri City, Pearland, Richmond, Angleton, Liberty, Port Neches, Nederland, Port Arthur and Orange, Moncada said.
The troops will begin leaving for Iraq soon after Saturday's ceremonies.
"They will have an opportunity to hang out with their families on New Year's Eve, and then they have to be there for theceremony. They'll have a couple of hours to say goodbye to their families, but then they all return to Fort Hood to prepare for their departure," Moncada said.