Guard unit honored
SALINA — A group of about 425 Kansas National Guards troops who have been training in Salina were honored before leaving for eventual deployment to Egypt.
A departure ceremony was held Sunday for members of the 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery. They’ll leave Wednesday for a mobilization training center at Fort Lewis, Wash., before deploying to Egypt in September.
Their mission will be to help implement and enforce security provisions of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement that was signed in 1979.
Among those leaving are Marcus and Trevor Abell, 23-year-old twins from Scandia who are starting their third deployment. The twins served in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2005 and 2006. After a year in the U.S., they deployed for a second tour of Iraq in 2007 and 2008.