Northern Wis. soldiers leave for Afghanistan
RHINELANDER, Wis. (AP) Nearly 1,000 people filled the Rhinelander High School gymnasium to send off more than 100 local National Guardsmen bound for Afghanistan.
The soldiers from the 951st Sapper Company are headed to Camp Shelby, Miss., where they will prepare for several weeks before a yearlong deployment. They will support security operations in Afghanistan.
Company commander Brian Barth says nearly half of the soldiers in the unit have served in combat. The unit, formerly the 724th Engineer Battalion, C Company, served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
The unit is based in Tomahawk and Rhinelander. The sendoff was Sunday.

Dec 1, 2008 at 5:26 p.m.
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God bless and keep all of you safe. And thank you for serving our country although I wish the troops didn't have to go.
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