CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr 518.786.4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Dec 08, 2009

SCOTIA, NY (12/07/2009)--The New York Army National Guard's 1108th Ordance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) will hold a farewell ceremony on Tuesday, December 8, as they prepare to deploy to Iraq in January 2010. WHO: Fifteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers prepare to depart for federal duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. WHAT: Family members and friends of the 1108th Ordnance Company farewell their Citizen Soldiers. WHERE: Scotia Armed Forces Readiness Center, 251 Rudy Chase Dr. Glenville, NY 12302 WHEN: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 2 p.m. Coverage Opportunities: The 1108th Company Commander, 1st lt. Jeffery Fiorito and his Soldiers will be available for interviews. Reporters seeking access to this secure military facility should contact 1108th Ordnance Company Sgt. Joshua Whimple at 518-220-4105 prior to arrival. BACKGROUND: The 1108th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD) will mobilize 15 New York Army National Guard Soldiers for an upcoming deployment to Kuwait. The company will receive and additional 10 Soldiers at its mobilization training site Over the past year, troops trained on basic Soldier skills, EOD operations, including clearing ranges of explosive hazards, rendering unexploded ordanance safe and handling improvised explosive devices. The company also completed the Global Anti-terrorism Operational Readiness Course, providing the Soldiers with current trends in the theater of operation. The company was first organized in September 2005, created from Soldiers of the inactivating 1st Battalion 105th Infantry, New York Army National Guard, formerly stationed at the New York State Armory in Schenectady. The first years of the 1108th were spent sending its Soldiers to military schools to give them the education and qualifications needed to be successful EOD Technicians. At first, the unit had only two Soldiers with actual EOD experience and the command looked to them to start the training of the newly returning Soldiers in 2006. Over time, as the unit gained qualified Soldiers and experience, the focus changed from filling its ranks to more realistic EOD tasks. Small scale team operations turned into more advanced problems. In April 2009, the unit travelled to Camp Smith to clear and destroy over 300 Stokes mortar rounds that had been fired onto the "Bald Spot" shortly after World War I. 1108th Soldiers have supported real world missions such as the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York City, trained at the Army's Global Anti-Terrorism and Operations Readiness Course and attended several FBI and ATF courses. The 1108th is leaving on its first deployment in January. FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-Army-National-Guard/112535293973?ref=search&sid=100000443776901.3155842963..1 Twitter: http://twitter.com/NationalGuardNY YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/nynationalguard