Staunton-based Guard soldiers prepare for Afghanistan

The U.S. Army on Thursday ordered 175 Virginia National Guardsmen to enter federal active duty in Afghanistan.

Troops will be on the ground there in mid-summer.

The announcement came as no surprise for Col. Eric Barr, of Staunton, who described 2011 as a “ready year” in a regular cycle for the Staunton-based 116th Brigade Combat Team.

“We’re an all-volunteer army,” Barr said from the brigade’s war room. “We’re in this because we want to serve. We’re the original minutemen.”

Although the list of guardsmen to be deployed has yet to be finalized, Barr said he expects 80 to 100 of the volunteer soldiers to come from the immediate region. Once chosen, the guardsmen will train in Fort Pickett and then at Camp Shelby in Mississippi for about two months.

Barr said normal cycles allow for up to 12 to 18 months for training, but said he feels confident his troops are ready.

“Once in awhile you may have a ready need in a country … and the Army comes up with a ready need,” he said. “We’ve been training because we knew this was a ready year.”

Barr, who has served 32 years, including in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, said he is proud to serve.

“And I think I have a little tread left on the tire,” he said.

Once in Afghanistan, the troops will train more specifically for two to four more weeks alongside men and women already serving at their base.

Barr said troops handle departure in many ways, and that informing family members is almost always emotional.

“Some soldiers don’t tell their families right away,” he said. “Others do.”

Maj. David Wheeler, of Greenville, said many volunteers get excited.

“I think a lot of it depends on their age,” he said.

Once overseas, there are many ways for troops to communicate with their loved ones back home, including using by computer with programs such as Skype.

“In the old days everyone had to stand in a long line with a calling card for a pay phone,” Barr said. “When I was in Kosovo, I’d get on AOL chat with my wife.”

Wheeler said mostly younger officers take advantage of newer technology for reaching across the ocean.

Sgt. Kenneth Wolfe, 41, of Middlebrook, said he plans to keep in touch with family, though he’s not as familiar with Skype.

“The only thing that concerns me back home are my step-daughter and family,” said Wolfe, a Riverheads High School graduate.

Wheeler said all volunteers are notified of their status in person.

The 116th Brigade last mobilized for duty in Iraq in June 2007. They remained on active duty until February 2008.