National Guard Deployment Ceremony On Thursday In St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD -- A deployment ceremony will be held on Thursday in St. Cloud.  The soldiers from C Company, 171st General Aviation Brigade, Minnesota Army National Guard are preparing to leave for a one-year deployment to Afghanistan.

The deploying soldiers representing 18 communities throughout Minnesota -- including St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids.  17 of the soldiers have been previously deployed.

The departure ceremony is at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday at the Army Aviation Support Facility.  They'll train in Fort Hood, Texas in May.  And they'll return to Minnesota next Spring.