My OIF3 activation makes the newspapers

Articles from several papers regarding my upcoming deployment are being written all over Mississippi and Tennessee. Here are a few I’ve found:

Up to 4,000 Miss. National Guard members could be deployed


Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi National Guard has been told to expect orders in the next several months for deployment of nearly 4,000 soldiers.
National Guard officials said Tuesday it would take several months for units to coordinate equipment, records and other requirements for deployment.
The guard in a statement Monday said the anticipated deployment involved the 155th Separate Armored Brigade based in Tupelo. While most of the 155th's 49 units are in north and central Mississippi, it also has units in McComb and Monticello in the southern part of the state.
The alert gives members of the 155th the chance to start planning and preparing for potential mobilization, said Maj. Danny Blanton of the Guard's public affairs office in Jackson.
"They're going to make sure all their records are ready to go. Likewise, they're going to make sure that their equipment meets mobilization standards, make sure the personnel strength meets mobilization standards," he said. "It just gives them the opportunity to be prepared so when the mobilization does come down, they'll be ready to go."
He said he has no specifics about when that order will be issued or where troops will be headed.
"It could be as few as 30 days or as long as three months," Blanton said. "That's up to the Army."
Blanton said it's even possible the troops would not be mobilized.
"We have had units that have been alerted and de-alerted," he said. "It just depends on the needs of the combatant commander in the theater."
While Guard members would be used to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Guard said it had no information on their final destination.
"We won't know if it's Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan or here in the United States until we receive the mobilization order," Blanton said. "Chances are if the order comes down, it will be for the entire unit, not just part."
In a statement, Gov. Haley Barbour said, "These are highly trained soldiers, and I know they will do an excellent job supporting our national defense if called."
If the brigade is mobilized, the soldiers could go to Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg for pre-mobilization training.







May 11, 2004
Tupelo's 155th among units placed on alert status
(Tupelo-AP) -- The U-S Department of Defense placed some Army National Guard members in Tupelo on alert yesterday for possible mobilization. According to Mississippi National Guard spokesman Major Danny Blanton, Tupelo's one-hundred-fifty-fifth Separate Armored Brigade must begin preparing for possible deployment within 30-to-90 days. While the unit has not received word on where the deployment will be, the brigade has begun making equipment combat ready.


War in Iraq: Hernando Guard among units placed on alert for deployment
Posted by: will on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 12:20 AM
The Mississippi National Guard has been told to expect orders in the next several weeks for deployment of nearly 4,000 soldiers.

The adjutant general’s office said in a statement the anticipated deployment involved the 155th Separate Armored Brigade based in Tupelo. While most of the 155th’s 49 units are in north and central Mississippi, including Hernando and Senatobia, it also has units in McComb and Monticello in the southern part of the state.
Troop A of the 98th Cavalry in Hernando, with an authorized strength of 171 soldiers, is among those units on alert.
“We’ve just been alerted, but it doesn’t mean that we’ve been mobilized,” Sgt. Stan Stanford, Mississippi Army National Guard recruiter stationed at the armory in Hernando, said Monday. “Any mobilization could take weeks or months or it could be just around the corner.’
The alert gives members of the 155th the chance to start planning and preparing for potential mobilization, said Maj. Danny Blanton of the Guard’s public affairs office in Jackson.
‘‘They’re going to make sure all their records are ready to go. Likewise, they’re going to make sure that their equipment meets mobilization standards, make sure the personnel strength meets mobilization standards,’’ he said. ‘‘It just gives them the opportunity to be prepared so when the mobilization does come down, they’ll be ready to go.’’
He said he has no specifics about when that order will be issued or where troops will be headed.
‘‘It could be as few as 30 days or as long as three months,’’ Blanton said. ‘‘That’s up to the Army.’’
Blanton said it’s even possible the troops would not be mobilized.
‘‘We have had units that have been alerted and de-alerted,’’ he said. ‘‘It just depends on the needs of the combatant commander in the theater.’’
While Guard members would be used to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Guard said it had no information on their final destination.
‘‘We won’t know if it’s Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan or here in the United States until we receive the mobilization order,’’ Blanton said. ‘‘Chances are if the order comes down, it will be for the entire unit, not just part.’’
If the brigade is mobilized, the soldiers could go to Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg for pre-mobilization training.

Staff and Wire Reports
Community Editor Robert Lee Long contributed to this report.

May 11, 2004
Guard units receive deployment alert
From staff and wire reports

The Mississippi National Guard has been told to expect orders in the next several weeks for deployment of nearly 4,000 soldiers.

The adjutant general's office said in a statement that the anticipated deployment involves the 155th Separate Armored Brigade based in Tupelo. Most of the 155th's 49 units are in north and central Mississippi, including the 42-member 255th Military Intelligence Company based in Jackson.
The alert gives members of the 155th the chance to start planning and preparing for potential mobilization, said Maj. Danny Blanton of the Guard's public affairs office in Jackson.

"They're going to make sure all their records are ready to go. Likewise, they're going to make sure that their equipment meets mobilization standards, make sure the personnel strength meets mobilization standards," he said.
He said he has no specifics about when the order will be issued or where troops will be headed. "It could be as few as 30 days or as long as three months," he said. "That's up to the Army."

Blanton said it's possible the troops would not be mobilized.

"We have had units that have been alerted and de-alerted," he said. "It just depends on the needs of the combatant commander in the theater."
While Guard members would be used to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Guard said it had no information on a final destination.

Guard members had been training as if they might be deployed, said Lt. Col. Jim Oliver, executive officer of the 155th.
"It's something that has to be done," Oliver said. "You know in the back of your mind that's part of the reason we're around."

The soldiers will do their jobs, said Maj. Darrel Bolin, who was deployed to Bosnia with the 155th in 2001.

"That's part of what we raised our hand to do," Bolin said.
Tupelo 05/10/04
Soldiers Prepare for Mobilization

Nearly 4000 Mississippi soldiers have been placed on alert for possible mobilization in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The soldiers are all members of the 155th Separate Armored Brigade, headquartered in Tupelo.
If the brigade is mobilized, it is expected to occur in the upcoming months. The following is a list of units that would be affected:
UNITS # OF SOLDIERS
255th Military Intelligence Co., Jackson 42
1st Battalion, 155th Infantry, McComb 701
150th Combat Engineer Battalion, Meridian 420
106th Support Battalion, Monticello 718
2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery, Starkville 607
2nd Battalion, 198th Armor, Senatobia 501
1st Battalion, 198th Armor, Amory 501
Troop A, 98th Cavalry, Hernando 171
Headquarters, 155th SAB, Tupelo 276

Local News - Monday, May 10, 2004


Brigade on alert for mobilization
By Janet Braswell; jbraswell@hattiesb.gannett.com
American Senior Writer
________________________________________
Almost 4,000 soldiers of the 155th Separate Armored Brigade of the Mississippi National Guard are on alert for possible mobilization.
"Although the brigade has received an alert, the decision to mobilize or deploy these units has not occurred," said Maj. Gen Harold A. Cross, adjutant general. "Our troops are trained and ready to provide any military support overseas if needed."
The 155th is made up of 49 units, including about 150 soldiers in Company B of the 106th Forward Support Battalion at Camp Shelby. Most of the brigade is in central and northern Mississippi.
If the brigade is mobilized, the soldiers could come to Camp Shelby for pre-mobilization training.
Personnel at Camp Shelby are preparing for the arrival, probably next month, of about 6,500 soldiers from the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tennessee and Headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division of New York.
The two units were alerted for possible mobilization in March but have not yet been mobilized. They are expected to deploy late this year or early in 2005.
Between 800 and 900 Mississippi National Guard troops, about 290 of them based at Camp Shelby, will be mobilized to run the post and 600 to 900 active duty soldiers will be transferred to the post from training support brigades nationwide to serve as observers and controllers.
The alert order for the 155th means about 400 soldiers can begin planning for possible mobilization.
"When you're on alert, you're authorized to bring 10 percent on active duty," said Lt. Col. Tim Powell, National Guard spokesman.
Originally published Monday, May 10, 2004