Maj. Michael Berry, public information officer for the Ohio Guard unit, said the troops began training together as one unit at the start of 2007.
“We have this Ohio-Michigan thing going on, which is different,” Berry said.
The Ohio unit, which is commonly known as the 37th Buckeye Brigade, is deploying its largest number of troops since World War II, Berry said.
Even so, with the Ohio unit absorbing 900 Michigan troops, this is the first time that the Guard ever merged two units across state lines like this.
As a result, the troops have united themselves under the resurrected patch of the Dragon Brigade.
The troops will train at Fort Hood for 90 days before they deploy to Kuwait for a nine-month rotation.
On Wednesday, the troops had to undergo the mundane process of personnel issues - getting shots, taking care of dental issues and paperwork such as payroll, insurance and signing their last will and testament.
Charles Green Sr., director of human resources at Fort Hood, had 150 civilian personnel helping to process the National Guard troops.
“Basically what we are doing is the human element of the soldier’s processing,” Green said. “We want to ensure that all their basic needs are taken care of before they get on the airplane. These soldiers are treated with dignity and respect.”
Some of the troops had done this before.
Sgt. Jason Oakley is no stranger to pre-deployment and processing briefings.
The baby-faced non-commissioned officer stood off to the side inside the Iron Horse Fitness Center, listening as Capt. Lynetta Ruffin, representing the Fort Hood Mobilization Brigade, give her spiel to the latest batch of troops.
Oakley, who is part of the Michigan National Guard contingent, served on active duty for more than three years with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
During his service, Oakley has seen action in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
This will be his fourth tour of duty to a war zone.
“This is my first one with the Guard,” said the Leesburg, Va., native.
Oakley said there a lot of differences when it comes to deploying as an active duty soldier versus deploying with a reserve unit.
One constant, though, is the motivation of the soldiers he takes care of, especially those who’ve never seen war.
“They’re usually the ones who are the most motivated because they’ve never done this before,” he said. “They are pretty motivated to go there and do their job.”
One of those soldiers was Pfc. Timothy Logan, of Holland, Mich.
Logan, 21, left behind a fiancee.
“It was hard for her,” Logan said.
Despite the hardship, Logan said the order to deploy was not unexpected, and in fact he has been waiting for quite some time to know if he would be going overseas.
“This is why I signed up,” he said.
