Two new callups of national Guard troops could affect 750 more Iowans in all. The Guard’s first battalion, 133rd infantry air assault has been “alerted” for possible active duty. That means the infantry battalion with detachments in Charles City, Dubuque, Oelwein, Waterloo, Iowa Falls and Hampton could be ordered to active duty for a year. Some 500 guard soldiers would mobilize in early May, heading for final training at Fort Carson, Colorado. Fort Carson’s also the mobilization station for the first battalion 168th infantry which has been told late May is likely the ship-out date for another 250 troops with units in Carroll, Corning, Glenwood and Shenandoah. The 168th would NOT be part of operation Enduring Freedom but will support what the guard describes as a previously scheduled security operation in the Central Command.
