New York Army National Guard Soldiers conducting tactical training at Saranac Lake Armory this weekend

SARANAC LAKE , NY (09/10/2015)(readMedia)-- SARANAC LAKE-- About 100 New York Army National Guard Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry will train at the Saranac Lake Armory on Route 3 this weekend, Sept. 11-13.

The Soldiers will be conducting tactical maneuver training with weapons in the 30 acres of wooded property which surround the armory. No blank ammunition or explosive simulators will be employed during the weekend of training.

The Soldiers are stationed at armories in Ogdensburg and Morrisonville, as well as at Saranac Lake, said Sgt. 1st Class Benjaman Katzman, the units training sergeant. Gathering at the Saranac Lake location allows the Soldiers to work together as a unit, he explained.

The Soldiers will train within the armory property, but hikers on trails adjacent to the property may see the Soldiers.

The unit will also conduct training at the Saranac Lake Armory in October. That training will involve the use of blank ammunition.

The Company B Soldiers, along with the 3,500 other members of the New York Army National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat team are preparing to deploy to Fort Polk, Louisiana next summer for a major three-week training exercise.

The Soldiers will train at the Joint Readiness Training Center, one of the Army's two major maneuver training areas in which units exercise the same skills they would need in a combat zone.