October 13, 2005

National Guard troops based at the Rice Lake Armory are expected home next month. An exact date of their arrival has not been announced, but it could be as early as Nov. 1.

Their return home was announced earlier this week by the Family Support Group of Company B.

Other soldiers, however, including those from Rice Lake and the surrounding area, remain deployed in Iraq, or in that theater.

The returning unit, Company B, 1-128th Infantry Division, has been deployed for 18 months, the last 10 of which were in Iraq. About 50 of the unit's soldiers are based at the Rice Lake Armory on Barker Street. Local soldiers–all of whom are volunteers–deployed from New Richmond.

"While we are still uncertain as to the exact date and time they will reach New Richmond, it is anticipated that their homecoming will be around the 1st of November,” said Ken Penttila of the Support Group in a news release issued earlier this week.

Penttila said a parade is planned through downtown New Richmond on the day of their arrival back from Fort McCoy. Buses carrying the soldiers will come up I-94 to the Roberts exit, they will turn off at Roberts and proceed east on Main Street to Division Street. It is planned that the students at Roberts will greet the buses as they turn north onto Division Street. The buses will then proceed to Hwy. 12 and then onto Hwy. 65 into New Richmond.

"Everyone along that route is encouraged to show their support for the soldiers by displaying flags, yellow ribbons and signs to welcome them home. Once in New Richmond, the soldiers will depart their buses, join their friends and families and march up Main Street to Glover Park where their board of yellow ribbons will be taken down. A short program will follow at the high school gymnasium.

"There will be continuing updates to let everyone know of the soldiers’ exact arrival," said Pentilla.

Before its deployment, Company B had completed 4 months of training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. The Wisconsin battalion was merged with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, which is primarily made up of soldiers from the Tennessee Army National Guard.

Company B was realigned with a cavalry unit from Tennessee shortly after its arrival for training at Camp Shelby. Cavalry units typically have fast-moving vehicles such as Bradley fighting vehicles and small tanks.

The Iraq deployment was the first overseas deployment of a Wisconsin National Guard combat unit since WW II, although many other noncombat Wisconsin Guard units have already served in Iraq, including the 724th Engineering Battalion, which included guardsmen based in Spooner and Hayward.

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