412th unit departing for Shelby on Friday

Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 16, 2009

A contingent of the 412th Engineer Command, this one with 63 soldiers, will be leaving Vicksburg Friday to support the Reserve Command’s first deployment to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom.

If you go

The 412th Engineer Command is leaving Vicksburg at 10 a.m. Friday headed to Camp Shelby, then Afghanistan.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Mayor Paul Winfield, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and the 412th Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. William Buckler Jr. are scheduled to speak during the 8 a.m. departure ceremony, Lt. Col. Theresa Molina said.

The soldiers will leave the center on Porters Chapel Road at 2 p.m. after a departure ceremony. They are scheduled to travel down Indiana Avenue to Interstate 20, then to the Hattiesburg area to train at Camp Shelby. The unit is set to deploy to Afghanistan in October.

Public Affairs spokesmen expect the buses to ride under an American flag unfurled from an arch formed by two ladders on Vicksburg fire trucks.

Soldiers at the center are hoping to see family and friends lined up on Indiana Avenue with flags and yellow ribbons to see them off, Molina said.

Known as the Deployable Command Post, the soldiers will oversee most engineering operations such as construction and digging wells, Lt. Mark Leighton said.

Contact Tish Butts at tbutts@vicksburgpost.com