Alabama Guard EOD Unit Preparing For Upcoming Deployment

Huntsville, Alabama a send-off ceremony is planned for Wednesday for the members of the Alabama Guard 441st Ordnance Battalion (EOD) as they head out to Camp Shelby for final training before their deployment to Iraq. The Battalion will deploy sometime in January to support the Army's 1st Armored Division and Task Force Troy (the counter IED mission). They will also help train at the Iraqi Army Bomb Disposal units. Four active duty Army EOD Companies will be under their command during their deployment to Iraq.

The 441st recently completed a large training exercise known as Operation Unified Endeavor at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany in October. The Germany training provided the 441st the opportunity to work with the 1st Armored in a simulated combat scenario. The 441st Ordnance Battalion is no stranger to providing EOD support in combat environments as they were deployed to Afghanistan in 2003.