Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard, conduct field artillery exercises during an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities (XCTC) exercise at Camp Ripley, Minn., on July 23, 2024. (Sam Hircock/U.S. Army)
WATERLOO, Iowa (Tribune News Service) — A sendoff for National Guard soldiers from the Waterloo-based 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry is scheduled for May 28 for eventual deployment to the Middle East.
The event starts at 6 p.m. at the new Cedar Falls High School, 2701 W. 27th St., Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The “Ironman Battalion” — and other Iowa units that comprise the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division — will begin their summer with 21 days of force-on-force training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, La.
From there, troops will be deployed to the Middle East for Operation Inherent Resolve. Officials declined to specify a particular area for the deployment.
Operation Inherent Resolve has operated in Iraq and Syria, working with Iraqi and Kurdish security forces in areas that were once held by Daesh, also known as the Islamic State.
During this mission, soldiers join coalition forces to provide security, support partner nations and contribute to efforts to maintain stability in the region. Some 1,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers will be part of the deployment.
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