Maryland National Guard troops are mobilizing today in preparation for their two-month deployment to Arizona to assist patrols on the border with Mexico, guard officials said.
The guard is sending 120 mostly Annapolis-based volunteer soldiers to Arizona for 60 days, said spokesman Maj. Charles Kohler.
The first 60 soldiers will begin training locally Saturday and leave for the border Tuesday. A second group of 60 will begin training Tuesday and depart next Saturday.
Most of the soldiers are from Maryland?s 1st Squadron, 158th Calvary of the 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which Kohler said was chosen for its expertise in reconnaissance and surveillance.
Their mission is to simply support the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in response to President George W. Bush?s call for a reinforced Operation Jump Start, which is expected to last two years.
“This is an excellent fit for them,” Kohler said. “This unit that is going, these guys specialize in what they are going to be doing, manning observation posts and providing assistance to border patrol.”
In May, Bush announced funding for an additional 6,000 guardsmen along the 1,300-mile border in four states.
Fewer than 5,200 soldiers and airmen from the National Guard are working the operation.
Bureau spokeswoman Kristine Munn said they are on track to reach the 6,000 goal by Tuesday, but said the numbers will fluctuate based on the needs of the border patrol.
Other guardsmen are serving as translators, providing air and ground transportation and repairing roads and fences along the border, Mann said.
Kohler said Maryland guardsmen have long served in border states during training missions, such as assisting California?s counter-drug program with engineering and medical units.
Mann said the Guard?s recruitment numbers are at a record high. The guard?s Army division is in its ninth consecutive month of meeting or exceeding recruitment goals, she said.
