Nebraska National Guard Deploying to
Assist in Hurricane Recovery Efforts

(St. Paul, Minn.) Gov. Dave Heineman announced today that nearly 1,000 Nebraska National Guard personnel from across the state are scheduled to deploy to the Gulf Coast region to assist Louisiana in recovery efforts from Hurricane Gustav.

“This is the largest deployment of Nebraska personnel in recent memory,” Gov. Dave Heineman said. “We are happy to respond to the need for assistance in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states. Responding to natural disasters and other emergencies is one of the primary reasons the National Guard was created. We have a well-equipped force and I want to thank each and every member who will be deploying to lend a hand to communities and people in need.”

Guard personnel began processing today for deployment at various sites around Nebraska and will begin deploying to Louisiana tomorrow. Once in Louisiana, their mission will be to assist local and state officials rebuild infrastructure.

A total of 95 members of the 67th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade headquarters departed this morning in advance of other Nebraska units. The group will coordinate the mission assigned to the Nebraska Army National Guard. Nebraska units are being called to provide logistical support for emergency personnel and additional security in the region, and have been organized into two groups.

The task force focused on logistical support includes 585 members of the Nebraska Army National Guard’s:

• 734th Transportation Battalion Headquarters in Kearney.
  
  
• 1074th Transportation Company, including units from North Platte, Sidney, Ogallala, and Broken Bow.
  
  
• 1075th Transportation Company, based in Columbus and York.
  
  
• 1195th Transportation Company, from Kearney, Lexington and McCook.
  
  
• 267th Ordnance Company in Lincoln, Hastings and Gering.
  
  
• 1167th Brigade Support Company, from Lincoln, Hastings and Fremont.

The task force providing security in the region includes approximately 315 personnel trained for reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as maintaining law and order. Units include:

• 1-134th Cavalry Headquarters, based in Lincoln.
  
  
• Troop A, 1-134th Cavalry, from Hastings.
  
  
• Troop B, 1-134th Cavalry, from Fremont.
  
  
• Troop C, 1-134th Cavalry, from Beatrice.
  
  
• 192nd Law and Order Detachment, based in Omaha.
  
  
• Nebraska National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, based in Lincoln.

Personnel deploying from other units include: the 402nd Military Police Battalion from Omaha, the Nebraska National Guard’s Joint Information Site Communications Capability from Lincoln, and members of the Nebraska Air National Guard’s 155th Security Forces Squadron in Lincoln.

Soldiers and airmen will join Nebraska National Guard resources already deployed to the Gulf Coast, which includes four helicopter crews from Lincoln and Grand Island. They had been stationed in Mississippi prior to the storm. They have moved to bases near the storm damaged area and are expected to begin flying missions today.

Additionally, the Nebraska Air Guard’s 155th Air Refueling Wing is on alert to support recovery missions in and around Louisiana.

Brig. Gen. Tim Kadavy, Nebraska’s Adjutant General, said, “While we’re deploying a significant number of personnel to the gulf, more than 3,000 Nebraska Army and Air Guardsmen are available to respond if needed here at home. For those deploying, their primary mission will be to save lives, preserve peace and civil order and support state and local recovery efforts. The Nebraska National Guard is highly trained and ready to perform exactly this type of mission. We’re honored to able to assist our neighbors as they recover from this latest storm.”