Arkansas Guard Troop In Deployment Limbo
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
An Arkansas National Guard spokeswoman said
today that defense officials are considering extending the
commitments of hundreds of soldiers serving in Iraq as they near
the end of their active-duty commitments.
Though Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said this week he
has no plan for an extension, other officials said it was under
consideration for about 450 guards from Arkansas serving with the
39th Brigade Combat Team.
Brandy Mikesell, a civilian spokeswoman for the Arkansas Guard,
said they`re still waiting for a decision.
The soldiers have served in Iraq since April. They were first
mobilized after September 11th and sent to the Sinai Peninsula on a
peacekeeping rotation.
The cumulative total for the Arkansas soldiers will reach 24 in
September, although they will not have been on active duty for 24
consecutive months. Pentagon policy and the law differ on a
24-month time limit for keeping National Guard and reserve troops
on active duty.
