‘Purpose and loyalty’: Pa. soldiers will spend a year in the Middle East

[Timber Rattler]

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2026/09/pa-national-guard-unit-set-to-deploy-to-the-middle-east-for-year-long-mission.html

More than 260 Pennsylvania National Guard troops who will deploy to the Middle East later this week were honored at a ceremony Thursday at Fort Indiantown Gap.

The Pennsylvania National Guard’s B and C companies, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, are headed to a year-long deployment to provide security operations across Kuwait.

To prepare for deployment, the soldiers went through realistic training, including live fire exercises, said Wade Morehart, Staff Sergeant of B Company, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment.

The training leaned heavily into modernization, including bringing in unmanned aircraft systems.

The 109th is a light infantry company, typically foot soldiers. However, to prepare for deployment, they had to understand mounted vehicles and how they work.

“It took a lot of reading, doctrinal reading, moving into formation movements, vehicles, mounted gunnery. It took a lot,” said Justin Wright, Staff Sergeant of C Company, 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment.

No other Pennsylvania National Guard troops are currently deployed in the Middle East. The regiment was last deployed in 2022 for nine months and Morehart was a part of it.

EXCERPT

I've never liked the idea of the National Guard being sent overseas for very long deployments as auxiliaries to the U.S. Army, especially to protect foreign countries like Kuwait.  Their intended purpose, by law, is for service here in the States except during exceptional circumstances like a World War.  I don't think that Iran qualifies yet.  Just my .02.