THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040581
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
An additional 73 Fort Eustis soldiers left Wednesday night for Mombasa, Kenya, where they will join 77 others from here who deployed Monday in support of the Rwandan relief effort.
Robert M. Walker, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, visited the troops just before they left Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
The soldiers from the 7th Transportation Group, along with 21 civilians from the Army Materiel Command, form a composite unit known as Task Force 7.
Made up of watercraft operators and stevedores, the unit will work out of Mombasa, unloading cargo, supplies and equipment from pre-positioned ships. Those supplies then will be airlifted into Rwanda, some 600 miles to the west.
Immediately after the relief effort was announced, Fort Eustis prepared to send 1,000 troops. However, it has only been asked to deploy about 150 so far. Those soldiers include personnel from the Headquarters Company, 7th Transportation Group and the 24th, 10th and 6th Transportation battalions.
The 7th Transportation Group completed its most recent deployment in Africa in March after more than 1,100 Fort Eustis soldiers were sent to Somalia to assist with Operation Restore Hope. The group worked with United Nations security forces to provide assistance in moving cargo, equipment and supplies. They also operated the seaport during the U.N. mission to deliver aid to the starving population and stop fighting among warring clans.
KEYWORDS: U.S. ARMY FORT EUSTIS
by CNB