Engineering Battalion Heads for Iraq

FORT THOMAS, Ky. (AP) - The Fort Thomas-based Army Reserve 478th Engineering Battalion is deploying today for Iraq.

A send-off ceremony will be at 3 p.m. today at the Fort Thomas Tower Park track and field area. Kentucky Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine is scheduled to speak at the ceremony. Members of the battalion said yesterday they had been on alert to deploy for several months, but they had not made the information public. They'll leave for a mobilization station today, where they'll train for what is expected to be several months before they leave the country.

Officials declined to say how many soldiers are in the battalion, but it's the second time the group has been deployed in the past four years. In February 2003, the battalion deployed for six months to Iraq and Kuwait.

Much cooler conditions behind the front