278th Heads to Iraq

More than 3,000 Tennessee National Guardsmen are ready to leave for Iraq.

The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment has finished two months of training in Camp Shelby, Mississipi. On Friday, Governor Phil Bredesen will join their families for a formal send-off.

Once in Iraq, Guard spokesman Randy Harris says the 278th will provide security for groups of combat forces leaving the country.

“The objective is to pull the troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. They’ll be assisting in some movements of that.”

The exact destination won’t be made public until the regiment is in place.

The soldiers are expected to return home sometime around the end of the year.