Two Nevada Guard units told to be ready

Jeffrey Libby

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001 | 9:42 a.m.

Two Nevada National Guard units ordered Monday to prepare for active duty would be the first from Nevada to join the 50,000 guard members and reservists who were activated by President Bush after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

Eighty-three airmen from the 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard in Reno, and 100 soldiers from the 72nd Military Police Co., Nevada Army National Guard, were told Monday to prepare for active duty.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to these brave servicemen and women and their families," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement. "I salute the dedicated service that our Guardsmen and Guardswomen are providing the Silver State and our great nation."

The 72nd Military Police Co., composed of part-time soldiers from Las Vegas and Ely, has been alerted for possible duty as part of homeland defense, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Adjutant General of Nevada Brig. Gen. Giles Vanderhoof said.

"They have been told to be ready on a moment's notice," April Conway, spokeswoman for the Nevada National Guard, said.

As of this morning orders for the 152nd Intelligence Squadron remained unclear, Conway said. The unit has not been told to report anywhere yet, just that they are being considered for duty, she said.

But there is a strong likelihood that the 152nd Intelligence Squadron would be transported overseas if called for duty, Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor said.

"Their specialty is intelligence, so they would be contributing in a very significant, a very real way. They would probably have a high-profile role," Naylor said.

The 152nd Intelligence Squadron specializes in photo analysis and video imagery, Conway said.

The unit was deployed in Bosnia and Kosovo in the mid-1990s, in Rwanda as part of a humanitarian effort in 1994 and during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The 72nd Military Police Co., which specializes in securing and guarding buildings, guarded prisoner-of-war camps in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. The unit recently completed training in perimeter defense, civil disturbances and sniper fire reaction at Fort Polk, La.

During the past few years, the 72nd Military Police Co. has helped the state fight fires and floods, Conway said.

Conway's office notified soldiers of the possibility for deployment throughout the afternoon, she said, giving them the chance to inform family members and employers and tend to other personal matters.