Jackson preps for departure of 10,000 soldiers

Jackson preps for departure of 10,000 soldiers
By Susanne M. Schafer - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 17, 2008 22:42:20 EST

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Fall in, holiday travelers! In the annual exodus known as Victory Block Leave, more than 10,000 soldiers toting rucksacks will soon leave Fort Jackson’s training installation and board planes, buses and trains in a deployment for the holidays.

Officials at the Army’s largest training post began organizing the highly synchronized, two-day phased departure of its newest soldiers six months ago.

“The mass of our soldiers will push out after 24:00” on Wednesday, said Maj. Melinda Britt-McFadden, the operations officer in charge of the movement. “It is a huge operation.”

To make flight connections to points across the country, soldiers line up during the wee hours of Thursday morning to board dozens of buses contracted for the movement, she said.

About 1,323 soldiers will go to the airport in Columbia, another 1,731 to the airport in Atlanta, Ga., and a third group of 1,531 will be driven to the airport in Charlotte, N.C.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_fortjacksonexodus_121708/%2e