N. Utah Guard unit gets call to Iraq

Soldiers from a northern Utah-based National Guard unit will leave soon for duty in Iraq.

The 148th Field Artillery Battalion received its activation orders this past weekend, a call the troops had been preparing for during the past few months.

The units of the battalion come from Brigham City, Logan and the Salt Lake area. The soldiers, who are all part of the 116th Cavalry Brigade, will first go to training within the United States and will be shipped overseas later this year.

The mobilization order brings the total of Utah National Guard members serving active duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom to almost 1,000, according to a news release. More than 700 members have returned home in the past few months, however, and another 200 are expected home this month.