Free Republic

Members of the 39th Infantry Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard are re-enlisting at a rate that has surprised officers. The unit had 530 soldiers eligible for discharge, and 499 had re-enlisted as of Nov. 1. The retention rate of 94 percent is higher than the 90 percent for the Arkansas National Guard as a whole. The 39th was mobilized for 18 months, a year of which was spent in Iraq. Members of the unit also were deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The Arkansas Army National Guard has a goal of having 8150 soldiers and needs to recruit...

The Army alerted an Arkansas National Guard unit yesterday that it will probably be deployed to Iraq by April to help fight the continuing war in that country. The 39th Infantry Brigade from Little Rock would leave between February and April, according the Department of Defense. The deployment would last a year. The 30th Infantry Brigade based in North Carolina would also be deployed under the same order. A battalion from the 41st Infantry Brigade would join the 39th Infantry Brigade. The 39th is an enhanced light infantry brigade that is trained to act as a strategic reserve in the...