TUPELO — More than 4,000 Mississippi National Guard soldiers are going through intensive training to prepare them for deployment to the Middle East.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports the guardsmen made their way to Fort Bliss, Texas in March for the start of live-fire training and maneuvers. The arid, sandy and windy environment mimics some of the conditions the soldiers will face in the Middle East.
The 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team members will begin deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield by the end of June. They will be based in Kuwait.
Commander Col. Doug Ferguson says the strategy is now more decisive action. Ferguson says they’ll be doing more wartime missions with wartime equipment.
The soldiers will begin returning home next spring when their nine-month tour overseas is completed.
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