Local guard unit headed for Kuwait; deployed Monday

CHILLICOTHE — A local national guard unit will be deployed Monday and will eventually head to the Middle East.

About 160 soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard’s 1194th Engineer Company, located in Chillicothe, will travel to Kuwait in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
The public is invited to the official call to duty ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the Shoemaker Center on the Ohio University-Chillicothe campus, 101 University Drive.

After the Monday ceremony, the soldiers will be off to Fort Bliss in Texas for further training and instruction, then will fly to Kuwait.

The unit, which also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2005, includes technically skilled laborers including plumbers and pipe fitters, interior electricians and concrete and masonry experts. During their prior mission, the 1194th oversaw construction projects to accommodate a troop surge that doubled the post's capacity.

The 1194th unit is based out of the Camp Sherman Readiness Center on Narrows Road and has also helped provide assistance in disaster relief efforts in Ohio and overseas.