Iowa National Guard helicopter unit mobilized for overseas medevac duty

An Iowa Army National Guard unit that uses helicopters to evacuate wounded soldiers from combat zones is being called to duty for an assignment in the U.S. Central Command, which includes Afghanistan and Iraq.

Detachment 1, Company C, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion of Waterloo will be deployed to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom, which is part of the war on terror. About 35 soldiers will be mobilized, said Col. Gregory Hapgood Jr., the Iowa National Guard's public affairs officer.

The Waterloo unit performs missions with UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to supply medical service and support for patients en route to combat support hospitals. The soldiers will be sent later this month to Fort Hood, Texas, for additional training before reporting to the Central Command, which is comprised of 20 nations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.

Hapgood said it is anticipated that the Waterloo unit will operate in "multiple countries."

A community send-off is scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 25 at the Waterloo Army Aviation Support Facility. The event is open to the public, and local officials and Iowa National Guard leaders are scheduled to speak.

The unit previously was mobilized in 2012 and returned to Iowa from Afghanistan in June 2013. The unit was created in 2005 and includes the former Troops D, E and F of 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry, all of Waterloo.