More Illinois National Guard units activated

[Padraig18]

The 202nd Air Defense Artillery unit from Marseilles and Streator will be deployed to Iraq for "as long as 18 months."

http://www.wlsam.com (890 on your AM dial)

[Ashcroft Kutcher]

1. But..........

major fighting is over...... mission acomplished.???

[Noordam]

2. So the ONE year has become 18 months

More Dem voters..............

[flamingyouth]

3. Washington Guard ready to go soon as well

AARRGGHH!

[atreides1]

4. ???????

Okay, why are they sending an Air Defense Artillery unit to Iraq?

Have there been recent air attacks on coalition troops, that the media
isn't telling us about?

This shows that all they want is numbers, these troops are not trained
to patrol streets, they operate Vulcan Air Defense Cannons, and Stinger missiles.

This show what happens when you put amatures like Rummy and Wolfie in charge of the Pentagon, along with their hand picked boot licking, ass
sucking general officers.

Who ever came up with this idea is an idiot!!!

[Nottingham]

6. Get ready Air Force & Navy! you guys are going too!

I think an able body that can carry a gun maybe shipped over there!

They need troops Now! :bounce:

[FlemingsGhost]

5. "One weekend a month..."

Exxon/Mobil thanks you for your loyal service.

[Padraig18]

7. It's getting VERY close to home

My b/f just left active duty USMC last year, and he's now Reserve in an MP company. He finds it very odd that they haven't been called up, since policemen are *allegedly* what are needed most.

Strange, eh?

[this_side_up]

8. Interesting how things

leak out.

Earlier this year when the Guard was mobilizing and leaving,
they were told they could be gone as long as 1 year and
maybe 2.

Now these new people are told 18 months.

I'm wondering when they will be told the truth: Iraq
is your new life.

[Padraig18]

10. Indeed!

:grr:

[never cry wolf]

14. Hey Padraig,

Thanks for the article. I have a very good friend in Streator, are you from there??

[Jacobin]

9. and its one, two three

What're we fightin' for,
don't ask me I don't give a damn
next stop is IraqNam......

coda

[drewb]

11. Call 'em all up, send 'em all...

Maybe then the "sheeple" will wake up???

Nahhhh... I doubt it....

Glad I got out when I did...

[tabasco]

12. Air defense, eh?

Ladies and Gents of the 202nd,

We know you trained to be air defenders, but everybody's secondary MOS is infantry. No enemy jets in Iraq, but plenty of sprawling neighborhoods to patrol. Hopefully, you get some relatively easier guard duty somewhere. Good luck and Godspeed.

[happyslug]

13. ADA?

Looks like this is a small unit armed with Humvees and Stinger Missiles. Looks like regular Humvees Not Humvees armed with a pedestal mount for stinger missiles (see the Avenger web site below).

I could see if their were armed with 1960 era Vulcans or 1950 eras dusters. The Vulcans were 20mm Cannon and the Dusters have 40mm Cannon, both of which have been used to defeat attacking infantry formations (both were used as such in Vietnam). I could see the Avenger system with its 50 caliber machine gun (Harding hitting than a 7.62mm gun) but no were near the Volume of fire of the Vulcan, Duster or even the 7.62 mm machine guns already in Iraq.

Thus the 202nd was NOT mobilized to provide suppressive fire in Iraq, it just can not provide such fire. Thus why is it going? Lest look at some "reasons":

1. Bush has already wrote off Illinois (or that part of Illinois where this unit is based) and thus prefer to call up this Illinois unit rather than Police, Armor or Infantry units from a State (or area of a state) that Bush (or a GOP member of the House of Representative) may be able to win in 2004.

2. There is a fear of low flying Aircraft somewhere operating below our air cover. The problem with this is how would a ADA unit help when such an attack would have to be so low to escape detection that people with rifles could shot it down? Now, none of the Countries around Iraq is permitting us to operate from their country. We do have some operations out of Qatar but the Carriers are gone. Is the fuel problem in Iraq so acute that we may have to cut back air operations? If you cut back Air Patrols than placing a ADA unit makes sense. Also makes sense if you want to use the Air craft to attack someplace else (i.e. Iran or Syria)? Iran may attack back in an area where we have no Aircraft thus ADA is needed.

3. After a careful review of the situation the 202nd was viewed as one of the best trained National Guard units and as such quickest to get on line in Iraq.

4. The 202nd has more up to date equipment than comparable Infantry Units.

5. To provide Cover to call up even more units in a state Bush has written off in 2004 (A variation of number 1 above).

I lean to number 1, with number 2 being used to justify calling out this unit.

The 202nd Air Defense Artillery (ADA) official Web page is here (how it is equipped and armed is NOT listed here::
http://www.il.ngb.army.mil/1-202ada/default.htm

This is a general overview of the same unit with the same information (again no reports as to armament;
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/1-202ada.htm

Here is the United States National Guard web site:
http://www.arng.army.mil/About_Us/

Here is a newspaper article saying that the 202nd ADA is armed with Humvees and Stingers:
http://www.starcourier.com/articles/2003/09/08/city/city3.txt

Here is a site where another ADA battalion is being used as infantry in Iraq:
http://www.stewart.army.mil/frontlineonline/archivedpages/FrontlineOnline05-15-03.pdf

Here is an army site showing the 202nd training on their stingers: http://www.ngai.com/1st_bat_mis.html

For information on Vulcans and Dusters see:
http://www.mystae.com/reflections/vietnam/duster.html

Another site on the M42 Duster:
http://www.turbosquid.com/HTMLClient/FullPreview/FullPreview.cfm/ID/147686/Action/FullPreview

For information on the M163 Vulcan:
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m163.htm

Here is a cite on the “Avenger” System of Stinger misses (Probably what the 202nd has):
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/avenger.htm

Web site on the Stinger:
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/stinger.htm