A sendoff is planned for Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington for an Iowa National Guard unit from Middletown.
The 831st Engineer Vertical Construction Company will first head to Texas to prepare and then will then deploy overseas in support of Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command area. The unit has around 150 soldiers, and their primary mission is construction of critical infrastructure. The soldiers are expected to be deployed for one year.
Their last mobilization was in Cedar Rapids in 2020 to assist in the Derecho storm clean up. They were last activated into federal service in 2005 in support of the global war on terrorism. The public is invited to the sendoff.