FORT MILL -- The Army National Guard unit from Fort Mill is on active training duty and could be sent to Afghanistan, according to multiple sources.
The 105 soldiers were activated for training in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and expect deployment to Afghanistan, according to documents received by soldiers of the 1222nd Engineer Company based at the armory in Fort Mill.
No dates, times or places for deployment have been confirmed, said Maj. Coral Dobson, executive officer for the six area armories in the National Guard 178th Battalion, but he confirmed the unit is preparing for deployment overseas.
That preparation will include weeks of training as a unit at a military base before leaving the country. The unit specializes in construction and bomb demolition.
“They are going to conduct mobilization training in preparation for possible deployment in support of the war on terror in the Middle Eastern Theater,” said Dobson, who served in Afghanistan in the last set of area National Guard deployments.
Both National Guard spokesman Col. Pete Brooks and Dobson confirmed the company has been activated for training. The 1222nd Engineers, called the “Sappers,” are “currently alerted for possible deployment,” Brooks said.
The pending deployment comes as President Barack Obama mulls how many additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan to augment the forces there. Brooks confirmed that the needs of the military in Afghanistan and the role of South Carolina's guard units have not been cemented as political and military decisions remain unclear.
Yet the potential deployment of local soldiers comes as casualties in Afghanistan have jumped in the last few months to the highest levels since troops were sent to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In October so far, 55 Americans have died in Afghanistan; 37 died in September and 51 died in August.
No decision has been made to send the troops to Afghanistan or even deploy them beyond training, because of the constantly changing situation concerning military needs within the Army and Department of Defense, Brooks said.
The Fort Mill unit was known until recently as “B” Company of the 178th Combat Engineer Battalion. Besides the guard unit and armory in Fort Mill, the 178th has a headquarters unit at its armory in Rock Hill, and armories in Chester, Lancaster, Clover and Wellford near Spartanburg.
Most of the soldiers in the Fort Mill unit were deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2004, and many in the unit also served in Afghanistan with thousands of South Carolina guardsmen attached to the 218th Brigade in 2007 and 2008.
Others have served along the U.S.-Mexico border, on homeland security missions starting just days after 9/11, and in other combat zones. Many in the unit have received commendations for outstanding valor and service, including Bronze Stars.
“South Carolina should be proud of these warriors,” said Joe Medlin, command sergeant major for the 178th Engineer Battalion. “They are some of the most professional and dedicated soldiers I've seen.”
Deployment of guardsmen affects not just soldiers, but the families left behind.
Spratt pays tribute
U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., from York, said the deployment of guardsmen is difficult for families, as those who remain bear the responsibilities back home.
Yet the need for guard units' technical skills, especially as troops are drawn away from Iraq and toward Afghanistan, Spratt said, is a “tribute to their abilities … an indication that the guard forces are not a backup, but integral to the entire force.”
“We should all be thankful there are such Americans,” Spratt said of the soldiers of the 1222nd Fort Mill National Guard.
Military lawyers recently met with the unit's soldiers to make sure all paperwork is in order before deployment. Brooks, the guard spokesman, declined to offer specifics on training dates and timetables for the 1222nd, saying only, “The unit is taking prudent measures” to prepare for duty.
National Guard soldiers, most of whom have regular civilian jobs when not on active duty, normally serve guard duty one weekend a month and two weeks a year. But after activation, mobilization and deployment, soldiers assume roles the same as any Army unit and are subject to orders from the Army, not the National Guard.
Any decisions about deployment are made solely by the Army and Department of Defense, Brooks said. The National Guard has no say about what units are deployed and no role in the timetable of training or departure, Brooks said.
Andrew Dys 803-329-4065
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