Deployment ceremony Thursday for 550 MN National Guard members headed to Middle Eas
About 550 Minnesota National Guard soldiers are headed to the Middle East in one of the state’s largest deployments in recent years. Thursday was the official send-off as members of the 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls” prepare to go to Kuwait, which includes some soldiers from the KLGR-area.
Tensions in that region have escalated since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the resulting war in Gaza. The soldiers go to the armory in Arden Hills for a couple days before a month of training in Texas.
They’re expected to land in Kuwait next month with the goal of being back home by Christmas. But leaders have no idea where the deployment will end up, given the chaos in the Middle East over the past few months.