Utah Guard unit gets long-delayed call to go to Iraq

This time it is really happening.

Nearly 500 soldiers of the Utah National Guard's 222nd Field Artillery Battalion are going to Iraq. After a four-month training stop at Camp Shelby, Miss., and another month in California, the "Triple Deuce" will make their way to the Middle East, where they will work on convoy duty and provide some artillery support fire, Lt. Col. David Thomas said.

"They're on their way," Thomas said just minutes after the first plane full of soldiers departed. Dense fog slightly delayed the soldiers' scheduled departure time.

The group had orders to report to Iraq two years ago that didn't pan out. In March 2003, the group prepared to leave Cedar City for the war in Iraq. But the conflict ended so quickly they were never sent overseas.

Instead, the "Triple Deuce" served at Fort Lewis, Wash., where they helped train Reserve Officer Training Corps students.

A second installment of soldiers will leave for Camp Irvine, Calif., this morning. The unit will be deployed for 18 months, Thomas said.

Approximately 50 members of the unit's leadership team left earlier this month. The soldiers come from Richfield, Beaver, Cedar City and St. George.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. made the trek to Cedar City to bid farewell to the soldiers. Huntsman stayed and greeted soldiers and their families throughout the fog delay.

The new governor shook the hand of each soldier as they boarded the plane and thanked them for their willingness to serve.

Hundreds of friends and families gathered at Cedar City Municipal Airport to support the soldiers on their journey. The community has embraced the unit since their first mobilization in 2003.

Recently the local high school adopted the battalion. Students at Cedar High School will send newspapers, letters and care packages to the 222nd while they are serving abroad.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com