LANSING, MICH.- -Friends and family will bid farewell to Company B, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard Soldiers on Tuesday, Jan. 8, as they prepare to depart for Fort Hood, Texas, for mission specific training and then to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many of the Soldiers volunteered to deploy with the unit and more than 20 of the Company B Soldiers are on their second deployment to Iraq.

The deployment ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the National Guard Armory, 1800 S Otter Drive, Saginaw, Mich., 48601.

The Soldiers are scheduled to return home in January 2009.

Today, nearly 1,000 Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are deployed across the globe in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; however, as the Michigan Guard serves the nation abroad, more than 9,000 members remain, ready to respond to state emergencies.

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MEDIA ADVISORY:

Media is invited to attend.

For more information, contact Capt. Mike Dehner or Sgt. Michael Schultz at

989-752-0911.