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Area soldiers called to active duty

JANESVILLE — About 420 soldiers from National Guard units in Janesville, Beloit, Fort Atkinson and Elkhorn have been called to active duty along with thousands of others from across the state.

On Monday, the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard announced that the state’s largest unit, the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, had received mobilization orders and will be heading for Iraq next year.

About 3,5000 soldiers from 43 Wisconsin communities are effected.

It’s the largest overseas deployment of Wisconsin National Guard forces since World War II, said Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, guard spokesman.

Six other units from the state will join the 32nd to help the brigade with their mission.

The brigade “will have a security force mission and be assigned tasks which will assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations” in Iraq, according to the new release.

Local units impacted include:

--Janesville, Company A, distribution, 132nd Support Battalion, 130 members.

The company provides supplies to troops in the 32nd Infantry Brigade.

“We supply them with everything from food to bullets,” explained Sgt. 1st Class David Pronger.

Most of the time Company A will be near the infantry brigade in the field.

“It’s based on the operation,” Pronger said. “We’ll do whatever it would take to get them the supplies they need the fastest.”

The unit has not been to Iraq, but about three-quarters of its members have been there as parts of other units.

-- Beloit, 1158th Transportation Battalion, 160 members. The battalion drives the big trucks and heavy haulers.

-- Elkhorn, Detachment 1, Company A, 132nd Brigade Support Battalion, 55 members. The detachment is part of the Janesville unit and performs similar tasks. The unit has a water purification section, an ammunition section and, like the Janesville group, moves supplies.

-- Fort Atkinson, Troop A, 1st Squadron, 105th Cavalry, 75 members.

Notification of the soldiers and their families started Friday and continued through the weekend.

All of the units will report for duty at their local armories in mid-February, 2009, then train at a U.S. Army installation in Texas for about two months before going to Iraq. The soldiers will then spend about 10 months in overseas.