Army Reserve unit mobilized

By By William F. West / community editor
March 6, 2003
A Meridian-based Army Reserve unit is being called to active duty in a partial mobilization of forces ordered by President Bush.
Maj. William Nutter, a regional spokesman for the Army Reserve, said the call is to serve in operations Enduring Freedom in the war on terrorism and Noble Eagle in homeland defense.
A farewell ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Friday at the Army Reserve Center at 5701 Old U.S. 80 West About 70 soldiers of the 1181st Army Transportation Terminal Battalion will head out.
Nutter said the unit is prepared for what's ahead. "That's their job, to be ready," he said Wednesday.
The unit's mission is to perform operations services at terminals and also arrange for the loading and unloading of cargo from barges or ships.
The unit will report to its mobilization station at Fort Stewart, Ga. There, the members will complete administrative and training requirements for the transition to active duty at undisclosed locations.
Nutter said a partial mobilization is one that involves not more than a million ready reservist units and individual reservists from all services. He said they serve 24 months or less.
Nutter, based in Birmingham, Ala., is a spokesman for a support command over eight southeastern states. He said such farewell ceremonies have been going well throughout the region.
Meanwhile, no official word has been released about deployment of the Air National Guard's 186th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at Key Field.