More than 60 soldiers in the region will soon leave for their
unit’s second tour in Iraq and they’ll join their families at the
Hollister Municipal Airport on Sunday to handle final preparations
before getting mobilized.
More than 60 soldiers in the region will soon leave for their unit’s second tour in Iraq and they’ll join their families at the Hollister Municipal Airport on Sunday to handle final preparations before getting mobilized.
Troops in the California National Guard’s Delta Company 185th Armor – including residents from the Central Coast, Central Valley and Bay Area – are meeting at the Hollister Armory at noon Sunday for family support briefings, said Sgt. John Hancock with the 185th.
Hancock was among the unit’s members who also served in Iraq from March 2004 to March 2005. About “60 percent” of the soldiers at Sunday’s gathering will be serving at least their second tour. Some will be serving their third or fourth, Hancock said.
The 185th is primarily a tank unit. In Iraq, its troops are set to handle base protection, convoy escorts and force protection, he said. Hancock expects the troops will be in Iraq for about 10 months, which would fall in line with the military’s shortening of tours for the war.
A second group in the unit will meet at a similar gathering in Madera on Sunday.
The 185th from from here will hold training in July north of Paso Robles before heading to Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin for more formal training. From there, they will leave for Kuwait.
