Guard unit, set to deploy, gets send-off

Family members and Nevada National Guard officials will hold a ceremony today for about 15 soldiers who are expected to deploy this weekend for an eight-week training stint in Kansas before heading to Afghanistan.

State military officials said the soldiers will be assigned to an Afghan infantry battalion to serve in a combat advisory role.

"We hope the team will help the Afghan army secure its own country and set the conditions to allow American service members to return home," Maj. Gen. Cindy Kirkland, Nevada’s adjutant general, said in a statement.

The statement quotes Gov. Jim Gibbons as saying, "This is a new unit and a new mission for the Nevada National Guard and I look forward to hearing about their successes throughout the year."

The ceremony will be held at the Clark County Armory.