Roughly 150 National Guardsmen in Salina are training for a yearlong deployment to Kuwait.
Most of the Guardsmen are members of the Kansas Army National Guard’s 891st Battalion, whose headquarters company is in Iola.
The overseas deployment is the first for the 891st since the Battalion spent a year in Iraq in 2005.
Lt. Col. Justin Nusz, 891st battalion commander, noted roughly half of those going to Kuwait were also part of the Battalion that went to Iraq. “For the others, this will be their first overseas deployment anywhere.”
The deployment is in support of Spartan Shield, an ongoing operation in Kuwait, which in part provides an American presence in one of the most volatile areas of the world.
The 891st soldiers will be in charge of assorted construction projects, Nusz explained, “everything from barracks to roads.”
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no public sendoff for the 891st, Nusz said, noting a July 5 ceremony has been scrubbed.
And the soldiers have had to adjust their training protocols because of the coronavirus.
“While in Salina, we’ve had to rearrange our building plans,” Nusz said. “And we’ve had to space out our training as well.”
Before the Battalion is shipped overseas, all of the Guardsmen will be quarantined for a short period, he continued.
Meanwhile, much of the equipment based at the Iola armory is being removed this month so it can be shipped overseas with the Guardsmen.
“Our equipment is going with us,” Nusz said.
THERE ARE other significant differences between this year’s deployment from 2005, Nusz said, in the areas of technology.
In their previous deployment, Guardsmen stayed in touch with families primarily over the telephone, courtesy of phone banks. Phone cards were a particularly valuable commodity.
Now, with the advent of the Internet and social media, the overseas soldiers will have much more regular contact with loved ones back home.
The Guardsmen have been in Salina since Thursday to begin their training. Soon, they’ll head to Fort Bliss, Texas, for further training before heading to Kuwait.
