150 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers set to deploy to Middle East this fall

SPOONER, Wis. -- Approximately 150 soldiers from the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 829th Engineer Company will deploy to the Middle East this fall.

According to a news release from the Wisconsin National Guard, headquartered in Spooner with a detachment in Ashland, the 829th will mobilize to U.S. Central Command as a versatile construction element in support of an engineer battalion from Indiana.

The 829th most recently deployed to Afghanistan in 2013-14, but also deployed to Iraq in 2003-04 and again in 2009-10. The unit has also participated in a number of overseas training missions including missions in Trinidad in 2007 and El Salvador in 2013.

The Wisconsin National Guard is planning a sendoff ceremony for the deploying troops.

According to the release, the mobilization comes at a time when more than 1,000 other soldiers and airmen from the Wisconsin National Guard are mobilized in support of their federal mission as the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force.

Approximately 400 soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry are currently in Afghanistan, while another 400 from the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry mobilized this summer for deployment to Afghanistan as well.

Meanwhile, 250 airmen from the 115th Fighter Wing deployed to the same region in July.

Earlier in September, the Wisconsin National Guard announced that the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters was mobilizing this fall for a deployment to Ukraine in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, where it will serve as the headquarters element overseeing a group of multinational partner and advise training teams in western Ukraine.