jules58
Peoria, IL
age: 50
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~2700 Illinois Troops To Afghanistan -- MSNBC Articles~
About 2700 Illinois soldiers will soon be serving in Afghanistan. A resurgence of the Taliban there means the largest deployment of the Illinois National Guard since World War II. Six planes holding nearly 700 soldiers took off from the Peoria Air Guard Base throughout the day.
About 2700 Illinois soldiers will soon be serving in Afghanistan. A resurgence of the Taliban there means the largest deployment of the Illinois National Guard since World War II. For some soldiers it's their first time overseas and others their fourth. Either way they're stepping up to serve their country. With their boots on and bags packed, these soldiers are set for war. "It's stressful. It's stressful if it's your first deployment. I can't say it's easier the fourth time. I wouldn't say it's any harder. It just is what it is," Captain Doyle Bedwell from Bloomington says.
The Illinois Guard Members got the call from President Bush to hopefully bring stability to Afghanistan where more troops are dying a month than Iraq. "We're just going to help the Afghanis straighten out their country. That's about all we have," Private First Class Jason Rice from Marion says. "I can't think of any mission we've done as a country where we were able to accomplish it in 24 or 72 hours or anything like that. It takes time to do these things," Bedwell says.
While the 33rd Infantry will be fighting back the Taliban, they are citizen soldiers. They're your co-workers and classmates. "I couldn't believe it. What a way to spend my 21st year. Plus, I have a child on the way. So, it was a big, big shock,"
Specialist Phillip Harris from Chicago says. Across the state, soldiers were stepping onto planes. Six planes holding nearly 700 soldiers took off from the Peoria Air Guard Base throughout the day. "We're going to be successful. We're going to be safe. And, it's our intent to bring everyone home and be successful with the mission," Bedwell says.
The planes are taking the soldiers to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where they'll undergo two months of training before heading overseas. The troops from Illinois should be in Afghanistan for about a year.
MSNBC Articles
Address:
http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/articles.aspx?afid=1&aid=27056784
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digunix
White River Junction, VT
age: 46
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Thanks for the info jules, hadnt seen a report on the news about it. OOOO yeah thats right the 700 billion bail out is more important these days !!!!!!!!!
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