Hawaii Guard to be sent to Kuwait next fall
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By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
The good news is that the Hawai'i National Guard's 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will be going to Kuwait in a year, and not Iraq.
The bad news is that about 2,000 Guard and Reserve soldiers will be away from their families for about eight months, and out of their day-to-day jobs for a year.
Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the state adjutant general, yesterday said the 29th brigade will be the only National Guard brigade going to Kuwait. Seven other brigades from across the country will go to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Hawai'i's citizen soldiers will be mobilized in June and head overseas in autumn 2008, the Department of the Army said.
"I certainly appreciate the soldiers, their families, their employers and the people of Hawai'i supporting our troops during this pending deployment — especially the families and the soldiers. They've gone through a lot," Lee said at a news conference.
The National Guard Bureau goal had been five years between combat deployments, but the need to spell an overstretched force means the Hawai'i Army Guard only will get just over two years between mobilizations.
About 2,200 Hawai'i soldiers spent a year in 2005 in Iraq and Kuwait.
Sgt. Hammond Ells, 27, looked at the facts and said he wasn't surprised by the call-up alert.
"It's a trend where we (the National Guard) have 33 months and then we've been deploying. That's been pretty much the standard," the Kaimuki man said.
"Pretty much if you wear this uniform, you know you are going to go to war," he added. "It's a war uniform. It's not a clown suit, and the people that do get scared about the deployment are the ones who join for school or benefits."
He spent 2004 in the hostile Sunni Arab area of Hawija in Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks.
"Take my golf clubs," he said of the Kuwait duty.
Sgt. Lance Shimamoto, 23, of Honolulu, also went to Iraq, but with the Hawai'i Guard in 2005.
"I'm not upset about it," he said of the new deployment. "I'm just ready to do my best."
He is married, and admits "that's where it gets kind of tough."
His family is not as worried about his deployment to Kuwait, but they are still worried. Most Guard families were notified of the Kuwait mission within the last few days.
The Army lists the 29th brigade's mission as being to Iraq, but Operation Iraqi Freedom encompasses Kuwait.
Lee cautioned that Kuwait is a combat zone "and we don't have a firm game-plan about the enemy."
Among other threats, Iran has said it would attack U.S. troops in Gulf states if the United States launches a war on Iran.
With units like the Army Reserve's 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry and some soldiers from the Mainland, Lee said the 29th brigade will still have about 1,000 fewer soldiers for Kuwait than during the 2005 deployment. About 3,700 soldiers deployed then.
Lee said his main concern is having adequate time to train.
At some point, once-a-month training weekends will be doubled to twice a month before the June mobilization. Training is expected to be done at Schofield Barracks, meaning soldiers possibly will remain in the Islands and close to their families.
Lee said a concern remaining from the 2005 Iraq deployment is equipment. He said the brigade is in good shape with vehicles and radios.
But the brigade has only:
"With this combat mission coming up, I'll really be putting the heat on to make sure the rest of the equipment comes in," he said.
Hawai'i's U.S. representatives, Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono, wrote a letter to the Army expressing concerns tied to the Guard's planned deployment.
"The letter asks what the Army's plans are with the state of their equipment and manpower," Abercrombie spokesman Dave Helfert said.
U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka issued a statement saying, "I still have concerns about the rapid turnaround for National Guard troops deployed, however, I was pleased to learn from Gen. Lee that the National Guard Bureau intends to send members of the 29th Brigade Combat Team to Kuwait rather than Iraq and Afghanistan."
Akaka said he would continue to work with Lee to equip the troops.
"If the final determination is that these troops must deploy, it is imperative that each and every member is adequately equipped and properly trained to fulfill their mission," Akaka said.
Mobilizations are now a year in duration, and any training time will be included in that one-year period.
By contrast, the 29th brigade was mobilized for 18 months during the 2005 deployment to Iraq and Kuwait. Six months of training preceded the year of combat duty.
Oklahoma's 45th Fires Brigade, "Red Thunder," will mobilize in June and deploy in autumn 2008 to augment the Hawai'i National Guard in Kuwait, Lee and the Army said yesterday. Other parts of the Oklahoma brigade will go to Iraq.
The Army said more than 20,000 Army National Guard soldiers are being notified to prepare for deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
Lee said the 29th brigade will have responsibility for security and the management of U.S. bases in Kuwait, which is used as a port to receive combat equipment and is the primary route in and out of Iraq.
About 15,000 U.S. troops are based in Kuwait.
Among the 29th brigade's responsibilities will be Ali al Salem Air Base, an airlift hub 39 miles from the Iraq border, and Kuwait Naval Base, Lee said.
There are also Camps Arifjan, Navistar and Buehring, which are used in part to house U.S. troops entering and leaving Iraq.
Lee said Hawai'i Guard leadership now needs to figure out "who's going to run what place" in Kuwait.
THE HAWAI'I ARMY NATIONAL GUARD UNITS AFFECTED BY THE DEPLOYMENT ALERT ARE:
Approximately 450 soldiers with the 1-487 were assigned to Kuwait in 2005. That assignment included Kuwait Naval Base, where summer temperatures reached a humid 120 because it is close to the Persian Gulf.
A 1,100-meter pier that curved into the Gulf was used for running and to fish for stinkfish, barracuda and snapper, and a lap pool and diving well were available for use.
Lee said yesterday a question on the minds of some may be, "Who's left to take care of Hawai'i in case of a natural disaster?"
He said the Hawai'i Air National Guard would fulfill that role. There are about 2,500 airmen in the Hawai'i Air Guard, as well as some Army National Guard units not going.
"We think we'll have about 62 percent of our force remaining within the state," Lee said.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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