Oregon Public Broadcasting

Ninety-five members of the Oregon Army National Guard are being deployed to Afghanistan this fall. KLCC's Jes Burns reports.

In early November, the Dallas-based 162 Engineer Company of the 1249 Engineer Battalion will do pre-deployment training at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin before shipping out.

Sgt. Erik Rutherford with the Oregon Military Department says the soldiers will be working with a company out of Washington State.

Erik Rutherford: "Together they will simultaneously complete the mission of clearing roads for route clearance."

This is the first overseas deployment for the 162 as part of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The soldiers, who come from all parts of Oregon, will be on the ground in the country for just over 10 months.