KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | Soldier Sendoff Friday

Soldier Sendoff Friday

JOHNSTON (KWWL) - A community sendoff ceremony for a Johnston-based Iowa Army National Guard unit mobilized as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom will be held at 4 p.m. on November 7, at the Joint Forces Headquarters (formerly known as STARC Armory), Iowa National Guard, Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa.

The street address for the JFHQ building is 6100 78th Avenue, Johnston, IA. Local officials and Iowa National Guard leadership will participate, and the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the sendoff ceremony.

Approximately 17 Soldiers will mobilize from the 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Iowa Army National Guard, along with 4 additional Soldiers from the 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Kansas Army National Guard.

They will report to their mobilization station at Ft. Dix, N.J. for additional training and preparation before deploying to Iraq in support of ongoing overseas contingency operations.

While deployed, the unit will provide public affairs support to the 3rd Infantry Division. The mission of the 135th MPAD is to collect, produce and disseminate video, audio, and print stories, as well as online journalism products, to civilian and military media organizations.

 They also provide multi-faceted media support in a military theater of operations. This unit deployed in support of Operation Joint Endeavor in 1996-97, and again in 2005-06, where it served as part of Multi-National Brigade East, a peace-keeping force serving in Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian.