Pentagon calls on thousands from Indiana for military buildup

As the Pentagon builds up forces for possible military action in Iraq, the Indiana National Guard and other reserve branches are contributing thousands of citizen soldiers from around the state.\nThe number of Indiana troops being mobilized for Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom has climbed to 2,500, according to the U.S. Defense Department.\n"That units are called up, among other things, is a demonstration that they are manned, equipped, trained and led to accomplish the missions they've been given," Lt. Col. Dan Stoneking, a Pentagon spokesman and a guardsman, said Wednesday.\nThe troops that have been called include infantry, pilots, and engineers from armories and reserve bases in Indianapolis, South Bend, Evansville, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Edinburgh, Gary, Hobart, Jasper, Ligonier and Richmond.\nThey come from most branches of the military reserves -- the Marine Corps Reserve, the Naval Reserve, the Army Reserve, the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard.\nNearly 1,400 troops have been called from the Indiana National Guard alone, adding to the 31,000 guardsmen already mobilized. During the build up for Operation Desert Storm in 1990, more than 63,000 guardsmen were called up.\nMilitary officials have not disclosed the units' destinations or duties, nor have they discussed which units are next to go.\n"We are ready for anything," said Maj. Sara Hall, a spokeswoman for the Indiana National Guard. "People in Indiana may or may not have some awareness that levels up in the national command authority are looking at our units."\nThe most recent group to go included about 600 guardsmen from Jasper, Linton, Martinsville, Tell City, Washington and Vincennes. The units were given a formal send-off Tuesday at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis.\n"You know, and accept, that the challenges of your mission must be put first, before any challenges you leave at home," Gov. Frank O'Bannon told troops at the ceremony.\nThe Camp Atterbury ceremony came on the same day that about 200 Indiana Air National Guard members learned they were being sent to Turkey to help enforce a no-fly zone over northern Iraq