N.M. Guard holds event for Cuba-bound troops

N.M. Guard holds event for Cuba-bound troops
By Tim Korte - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jan 12, 2008 15:24:06 EST

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — A New Mexico National Guard commander warned soldiers and airmen they’re facing a complex assignment in Cuba, helping a joint task force that runs the island prison at Guantanamo Bay.

“This is not a popular mission,” Brig. Gen. Greg Zanetti told 72 departing guardsmen during a sendoff ceremony Friday. “The mission at Guantanamo is reviled by many, misunderstood by most.”

Members of the New Mexico guard’s 111th Combat Support Brigade will deploy this week to Fort Lewis, Wash., for classroom instruction, then spend one year at the U.S. Naval base in southeastern Cuba.

They’ll support American military units, along with FBI and Secret Service agents and other federal authorities.

The New Mexico guard’s top commanding officer, Gen. Kenny Montoya, told soldiers and their families it’s the first time National Guard troops will be stationed in Cuba since the Spanish Civil War.

Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_guantanamotroops_080112/



uhc comment: The mission at Guantanamo is reviled AND understood by this unhappycamper.