New Mexico soldiers arrive in Iraq

August 18, 2009

The New Mexico National Guard 515th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion arrived in Mosul, Iraq, over the weekend.

“They’re busy settling in, learning their mission,” said Duane Glass, a National Guard human resources technician, who called the soldiers “healthy.”

The 86 soldiers in the battalion spent the past two weeks in Kuwait, adjusting to the desert climate.

“All things considered, they’re doing pretty good,” Glass said. “Probably very busy.”

One of the soldiers already returned home from the Middle East because his sister died. After two weeks back in the United States, he will again leave for Iraq.

One soldier never left the United States because he suffered a heart attack during training in Indiana.

The battalion was based in Belen while prepping for deployment. Many of the soldiers participated in a yellow ribbon ceremony in Belen in late May.

Glass said the local National Guard office and the soldiers’ families will send care packages to the troops in early November, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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