Guard unit headed to Iraq

About 40 members of a Spokane-based National Guard unit are being called up for duty in Iraq.

Members of a detachment of the 792nd Chemical Company, which has its main offices in Yakima, will be part of the 150-person company that will be moving out on July 31 after a formal send-off at Yakima’s Sun Dome.

The company is trained to look for chemical weapons on the battlefield, but will likely be handling far more traditional military policing duties in Iraq, said Major Philip Osterli, a Washington Guard spokesman.

They’ll spend about 100 days in training at Fort Lewis, and expect to be in Iraq for a year. When they arrive there, the Washington Guard will have about 450 people on duty in Iraq. That’s down from about 4,700 people deployed in the Middle East a year ago when the 81st Combat Brigade was mobilized for Iraq.

Most of the 81st returned in March, but about 70 members of the Guard stayed to continue serving with other units.

The 792nd also has a detachment of about 40 members based in Bremerton, Osterli said.