Ephrata Guard unit on alert

Unit given notice to be prepared

EPHRATA - The Ephrata-based 1161st Transportation Company is on alert for mobilization to possibly serve in the global war on terror.

The company is made up of about 130 people from Washington state, according to the Washington National Guard.

The Department of Defense-issued alert order tells unit members a mobilization is possible, but doesn't place them on federal active duty.

"All this thing really amounts to, it's the big Army's way of giving us a heads up this may happen," said Sgt. Robert Allen of the Ephrata National Guard armory. "I'm thinking, with this being a (presidential) election year, this probably won't happen yet. These things affect

budgeting more than most people know."

A mobilization order has not been issued for the 1161st, according to Lt. Keith Kosik, with the National Guard's headquarters at Camp Murray.

He said he didn't want to speculate on which countries members could be sent to. If a mobilization order is issued, the mission and deployment dates will be specified.

Kosik said members have been told about the alert order.

He said it's also important for company members to start having conversations with family members and employers of how future service is a possibility, he said.

The guard emphasizes to its members not to make any life-changing decisions like quitting a job or breaking a lease, he said.

The 1161st served in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Feb. 2003 to Oct. 2004.

Some of the 1161st's current members were among the original group that served in Iraq, Allen said.

He wasn't sure of the exact number because he deployed to Iraq with a different unit and is new to the 1161st, he said.

Kosik said he didn't expect the training schedule to change from its current one weekend a month, but it depends on what is wanted by the "big Army."

One reason for the vagueness in details is because no hard decisions have been made, he said.

The global war on terror includes any country caught or believed to be supporting terrorism through training or funding, he said. The areas can include foreign countries or areas within the U.S., he said.