172nd Infantry Brigade ships tanks, gear for deployment

[unhappycamper]

A 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier guides a tank as it is loaded onto a train at Grafenwöhr on Monday.


172nd Infantry Brigade ships tanks, gear for deployment
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, October 28, 2008

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The 172nd Infantry Brigade loaded tanks, armored personnel carriers and Humvees on trains here Monday for the first leg of a journey to Iraq.

The brigade of more than 3,500 soldiers heads to the desert next month for a year-long mission.

When the unit deployed to Iraq in 2006, as the 2nd "Dagger" Brigade, it moved hundreds of vehicles from Germany to the Middle East.

This time the brigade is only taking about 75 vehicles, according to the officer in charge of the railhead operation, Capt. Mike Gunther, 32, of Mundelein, Ill.

Instead of moving equipment from Germany, 172nd troops will pick up the new heavily armored MRAP vehicles, armored Humvees and other equipment in Kuwait, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58434



uhc comment: Does anyone know how many tours the 172nd has already done in Iraq?