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WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2009 – An Army armored cavalry unit and three brigade combat teams will deploy to Iraq next summer as part of annual troop rotations there, according to a Defense Department news release issued today. Also, an Army headquarters unit and elements of a Marine expeditionary force now in Iraq have been issued deployment extensions, the release said. The number of troops involved in the movement will total about 15,000 servicemembers. The units will replace redeploying units, with no increase in overall force levels. Units identified for deployment are: -- 3rd Infantry Division’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team,...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2008 – If Army Cpl. Edward Helzer has a feeling of déjà-vu, it’s probably because he’s been to Iraq more than once. Army Cpl. Edward Helzer, a Laredo, Texas, native, mobilized for his second deployment to Iraq four days after he returned home from his first deployment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Carmen Guerrero, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Now on his second deployment, he’s running the exact same routes he did before, still in his vehicle of choice: the towing and mine-detection vehicle known as the Husky. Helzer hails...

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2008 – The Defense Department today announced force rotations for Iraq and Afghanistan, including upcoming active-duty deployments later this year and alerts to Army National Guard units to deploy in spring 2009 and 2010. About 25,000 active-duty troops assigned to a division headquarters and seven brigade combat teams will begin to deploy to Iraq this fall, and continue through the year’s end, Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, announced today. In addition, four Army National Guard brigades have been alerted of an upcoming deployment to Iraq, he said. About 14,000 affected soldiers...

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2007 – More than 7,000 servicemembers will deploy to Iraq in the coming months, including two units that will not have been back at their home stations for the year they expected when they returned home from their last deployments, Defense Department officials said today. The rotations will enable commanders in Iraq to maintain 20 brigade combat teams in the theater through the end of August, officials said. The 3,500 soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y., will return to Iraq 47 days before their one-year stateside “dwell break” is finished. The...

Though reserve component forces are going through a stressful time, the Defense Department is working hard to improve the situation, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told Guard and Reserve leaders here today. Wolfowitz, speaking at the Adjutants General Association of the United States mid-winter meeting, told the group the nation is asking National Guard and Reserve members to serve for longer periods and in larger numbers and "with greater uncertainty than I think any of us ever envisioned." Wolfowitz cited several burdens being placed on both reserve components, noting that National Guard and Reserve soldiers make up 40 percent of...

The rotation of troops into and out of Iraq is in full swing, DoD officials said today. More than 40,000 troops scheduled to deploy to Iraq have moved into theater, and 35,000 of those set to come home already have departed, said Army Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, a Joint Staff spokesman. The general and Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita fielded questions during a press conference. Pentagon officials said the rotation is the largest troop movement since World War II. A logistics official in Kuwait said it was like the Normandy invasion "in both directions." More than 60 commercial ships are carrying...

LAWRENCE DIRITA (Pentagon spokesman): I do want to just first of all welcome General Dave Rodriguez to the briefing room. He's the deputy director for Regional Operations in the Joint Staff, the J-3. Previous iterations of him have included such stars as Admiral Stufflebeam and others. We're very happy to have him engaged in this responsibility, which is to provide some updates from time to time, which we're happy to do today. There have been some other briefings, I know, throughout the day at other agencies, and I think Ambassador Bremer spoke earlier. But we thought it would be useful...

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...

Some of you fine folks are master researchers when it comes to utilizing search engines. I KNOW I've seen military units being welcomed home on Fox News but when I do a search I can't seem to find much info on what units have come home and such. I'd appreciate any assistance cuz I want to pound some leftists with the info. TIA