Sgt. Charlie Hatchett, from Melbourne, Fla., a medic with the 161st Area Support Medical Battalion, examines a soldier serving at Logistical Base Seitz.

LTC Ronald Renuart, from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., a member of Company A, 161 Area Support Medical Battalion, Camp Blanding, Fla., treats a patient during ‘Sick Call’ at Camp Virginia, Kuwait. Photos by Captain Charles Mussi, National Guard Bureau

Capt. Rex Painter, a doctor with the 161 Area Support Medical Battalion, wears a mask to protect himself from too much dust as he convoys to Camp New Jersey to link up with his fellow Florida Army National Guard soldiers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Christie Cornell, from Jordan, N.Y., and SSgt. Edward Newton, from Fizgerald, Ga., check a thermometer's reading. Both are members of Company A, 161 Area Support Medical Battalion.

Spc. Krista Rodriguez, from Orlando, Fla, a combat medic deployed to Logistical Base Seitz, Iraq, with the 161st Area Support Medical Battalion, treats a sick call patient. Photos by Capt. Charles Mussi, NGB PASE.

Dedicated ‘Gator Fan’, Spc. Andrea Goguen, from Gainesville, Fla., talks with a soldier who fell and hurt his knee at Base Camp Virginia, Kuwait. Photo by Capt. Charles Mussi, NGB PASE.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signs bills providing workers’ compensation for guardsmen and reservists called to active duty, during a ceremony at the Florida National Guard headquarters in St. Augustine, June 2. Watching the signing behind the governor are (left): Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commander Pat Love, state Rep. Kevin Ambler, state Sen. Evelyn Lynn, and state Sen. Mike Fasano. Photo by Spc. Thomas Kielbasa.

Spc. Wayne Holland, from Gainesville, Fla., a medic with the 161st Area Support Medical Battalion, which is deployed just outside of Baghdad, Iraq, takes a spin on an anti-aircraft weapon made safe and under U.S. control. Photo by Capt. Charles Mussi, NGB PASE.

Editor’s note: This is part two of our profile on what the units of the Florida National Guard are doing in the various theaters around the world. Since the time of this writing, there have been changes in the deployment status of some of the units listed below.

We were notified at press time that the Florida Guard sustained its third casualty during combat operations in Iraq. Florida Army National Guard Spec. Robert Allen Wise, 21, of the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, died Nov. 12 from wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device struck the HMMWV he was riding in. Two other guardsmen were also injured in the blast. We extend our deepest condolences to the Wise family.

An infantry private on midnight patrol in the rubble-strewn streets of Baghdad; an ordinance expert disposing of unexploded artillery shells during a harsh Bosnian winter; an airman with a heavy engineer unit laying down miles of new runway in the blistering Kuwaiti desert. These are just a few faces of the Florida National Guard, which has more than 4,000 personnel still on active duty throughout the world today.

When the Florida National Guard experienced large-scale mobilizations earlier this year, the men and women called to serve knew only that their missions could last up to a year — and maybe longer. But perhaps no one could have predicted the diversity of the missions they would be performing under Operations Enduring Freedom (global war on terror), Noble Eagle (air defense of homeland), and Iraqi Freedom (liberation of Iraq).

Soldiers from the three battalions of the 124th Infantry Regiment made history this year when they became part of the largest infantry deployment the state had experienced since World War II. More than 1,500 members of the regiment deployed to Fort Stewart, Ga., in early January, and following intense training were shipped to southwest Asia to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to the ground war, soldiers from the three battalions helped protect critical Patriot missile batteries in nations surrounding Iraq, and some of the Florida soldiers were even working with Special Forces just days before the U.S. troops moved into southern Iraq. During the first days of ground combat members of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were with the 3rd Infantry Division as they pushed through southern Iraq towards Baghdad.

Following the end of major combat operations in Iraq, soldiers from all three battalions have been diligently performing security missions throughout the country and its capital Baghdad.

Recently soldiers from Miami-based 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, were working with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment providing security in Baghdad and west of the capital in the towns of Al Fallahaj and Ar Ramadi, according to reports. In Ar Ramadi — about 75 miles west of Baghdad — soldiers have experienced the rigors of guerilla warfare in an area where U.S. soldiers are frequently attacked by pro-Saddam Hussein loyalists, according to media reports.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, have also been busy providing security in Iraq: the battalion’s A and B Companies are working at Balad Air Base in northern Iraq, while members of C Company are performing security missions in areas throughout Baghdad — including around the U.S. Administration Center in the capital.

Charlie Company of 2nd Battalion suffered two casualties during its mission in Iraq, reinforcing the dangerous nature of the work these citizen-soldiers were called to execute. On April 17 Cpl. Travis Rivero of Tampa was killed in western Iraq when the humvee he was riding in overturned while on a mission. On July 6, Spc. Jeffrey Wershow of Gainesville, Fla., was killed by a gunman during a security mission in Baghdad.

In May, about 40 soldiers from the battalion’s headquarters, which was stationed at Fort Stewart during the combat phase of the war in Iraq, were sent to Afghanistan and attached to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. The remainder of the un-missioned soldiers from the headquarters were demobilized and returned to Florida in July.

The Panama City-based 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, has also been engaged in security missions in and around Baghdad since the end of the ground war. According to battalion commander Lt. Col. Thad Hill in a recent letter, the soldiers in his battalion “have conducted over 1,350 patrols, both mounted and dismounted, (and) over 120 river patrols up and down the Tigris River.”

Hill also explained the soldiers had engaged in “numerous raids and takedowns on suspected anti-coalition factions (which resulted) in numerous weapons seizures and arrests.” They also helped “set up neighborhood, district, and city advisory councils; rebuilt and renovated municipal facilities and helped clear schools of unexploded ordinance left behind by the Iraqi army; hired and trained over 70 Iraqi citizens to perform security functions at various locations within our zone; (and) worked with Iraqi police to help them reorganize, train, and function as a legitimate security force.”

Members of the 3rd Battalion’s Charlie Company have their tactical command post on the grounds of the former Republican Guard Palace, and are providing security to the Coalition Provision Authority, which is the organization designed to restructure Iraq.

The 743rd Maintenance Company from Fort Lauderdale is currently operating north of Baghdad with approximately 200 soldiers, performing a variety of maintenance missions. In a letter to friends and family in Florida, 743rd commander Capt. Ken Harris noted that despite rising temperatures, life was slowly becoming more comfortable for his deployed soldiers.

“Services here are steadily improving,” Harris wrote, “such as access to the postexchange to fill our shopping needs. It is the rare day when the improvements are sufficient to see in one day period, but every day we move few inches closer to a lifestyle more like normal. Everyone is safe and healthy, with the possible exception of the occasional stomach disorder.”

“Rest assured that we are busy here and taking every precaution to stay safe,” Harris added.

Medical personnel from A Company, 161st Area Support Medical Battalion are also busy in the Kuwaiti desert near the Iraqi border, and have dispatched teams to work in Baghdad. The unit from Camp Blanding deployed to Fort Stewart in early February with more than 60 soldiers, and have treated a variety of medical problems including: heat and gastrointestinal illness, heart attacks, orthopedic injures and asthma.

In a letter printed in a Jacksonville newspaper, Lt. Col. Ronald Renuart wrote: “Our small unit from Camp Blanding has been responsible for the care of thousands of troops. There were times when I was the only physician for 50 miles and the nearest specialist was over 80 miles away.”

The Florida Air National Guard’s 202nd REDHORSE squadron from Camp Blanding is done with its mission and everyone made it home safely. The squadron was working at several locations throughout southwest Asia including Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar. The mission of the heavy-engineering unit, comprised of more than 140 personnel, was to help build and repair runways and facilities.

More than 40 soldiers from the Lakeland-based Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 116th Field Artillery Regiment are currently serving in Iraq as member of fire support teams. Ten soldiers from the unit recently returned home after serving in Hungary, and deploying to Kuwait and Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

More than 600 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery, headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., and the 146th Signal Battalion, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., are deployed throughout Florida under Operation Noble Eagle, to provide security for Air Force bases. In January the troops mobilized to support the mission, which was part of an agreement between the Army and the Air Force for more than 9,000 Army National Guard soldiers to help secure 163 Air Force Bases around the country. In Florida the soldiers were assigned to six different bases.

Approximately 40 soldiers from the Florida National Guard’s E Company, 111th Aviation Battalion are serving in southern Iraq and Northern Kuwait. The Jacksonville-based unit, which includes air controller personnel who coordinate movement of Army aircraft, mobilized to Fort Benning, Ga., in early March.

Five members of the Detachment 8 (C-12 Huron aircraft unit) from St. Augustine, Fla., have returned from Kuwait, transporting troops and VIPs in southwest Asia. Members of the detachment, which departed from Florida on March 6, were among the first pilots to land at the Baghdad International Airport following its liberation by U.S. troops.

Twenty public affairs and media experts from the 107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment based out of St. Augustine are currently working in Washington, D.C., in support of operations at the Pentagon. Since their deployment in February, the soldiers have also supported high-profile military public affairs missions in Georgia, Louisiana, and Washington state.

The 269th Engineering Company from Live Oak, Fla., has been actively working in both Kuwait and Iraq, building roads and digging water-wells in the desert environment. More than 100 soldiers from the unit deployed in March, and worked closely with U.S. Navy Seabees to sink some of the first wells in Iraq following the ground war.

Ordinance specialists from Camp Blanding’s 221st EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) Detachment are working with Russian and other foreign explosive experts to find and destroy unexploded munitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The soldiers left for Europe earlier this year, and during one mission in March, the soldiers helped destroy more than 3,400 pounds of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

More than 200 members of the 631st Maintenance Company from Starke, have been stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., since they were mobilized in early February, and have continued to provide direct maintenance support to units at the active duty post. Personnel from the 631st anticipate increased missions and maintenance assignments as active duty units from the 3rd Infantry Division return to Fort Stewart.

Soldiers from the 260th Military Intelligence Battalion, based in Miami, and Florida National Guard Special Forces, continue to operate in various locations across the globe. Approximately 100 members of the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group have been redeployed to undisclosed locations in support of the global war on terrorism.

Members of the 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville, Fla., continue their critical mission of providing security and air defense. During the past year airmen from the 125th Security Forces Squadron had deployed to and returned from Krygyzstan and Saudi Arabia.

Members of the Florida Air National Guard’s 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron demobilized on Nov. 1, but some members chose to stay on active duty and engage in a variety of missions overseas, including in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Philippines. The 114th Combat Communications Squadron from Patrick Air Force Base had more than 30 Air Guard personnel deployed to work with Central Command. Everyone has returned home.

The Florida Air National Guard’s Southeast Air Defense Sector based at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., has more than 250 personnel tracking aircraft movement and watching approximately one million square miles of airspace over the southeast U.S.

During the past year, Florida National Guard units returning home from deployments included: 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, returned from Afghanistan; the 930th Army Liaison Team returned from Afghanistan; members of the 153rd Finance Battalion returned from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; members of the 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command returned from various locations; both the 144 Transportation Company and the 927th Corps Support Battalion returned from deployment to Fort Stewart; and the 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery returned from Fort Bliss, Texas.

Nearly 150 soldiers from the Florida Army National Guard are currently serving on force protection missions throughout Florida, providing security at various National Guard installations.