Ore. National Guard unit to mobilize Monday in Bend

The Oregon Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 82nd Cavalry, of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is scheduled to mobilize approximately 190 soldiers during a ceremony on Monday at 4 p.m. at Vince Genna Stadium.

The public is invited to attend the event at 401 SE Roosevelt Street.

The 1-82 Cavalry Squadron is one of three battalion-sized elements of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team deploying to Afghanistan this summer as part of the regular rotational cycle of forces to provide security missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lt. Col. Daniel D. Miner, Jr. will command the unit, and Command Sgt. Maj. Wayne W. Chastain will serve as the unit’s command sergeant major.

The unit, headquartered in Bend, with companies also in Klamath Falls, Lebanon and Redmond, will complete mobilization processing and training at Fort Bliss, Texas prior to departure for Afghanistan.

The units will provide security and support for military facilities in Kabul and southwestern Afghanistan.

The history of the 41st Brigade can be traced back to 1917, when the 41st Infantry Division was created for service in World War I, primarily from National Guard units from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

The 41st Infantry Division was the longest deployed division during WWII, serving in the Pacific.

Elements of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team have served in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The brigade deployed a large contingent known as Task Force Phoenix to Afghanistan in 2006 and again deployed the entire brigade to Iraq in 2009.