By Stuart Tomlinson / The Oregonian

Seventy-two soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 168 Aviation detachments of the Oregon National Guard will deploy to Afghanistan next spring, the Oregon Military Department said today.

Capt. Stephen Bomar, an Oregon National Guard spokesman, said soldiers in B, D and E companies within the battalion will report to Ft. Hood, Texas for premobilization training before deploying overseas.

He said “B” Company includes pilots and crew chiefs for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter; “D” Company is comprised of mechanics and maintenance support personnel; and “E” Company is the fuel support team.

“The Chinook is a versatile aircraft and will continue to be of great use in Afghanistan,” said 1st Lt. Craig Talarico, executive officer of B company. “We anticipate that we will be very busy”.

Original story is here.