16,000 have orders for Afghanistan surge

[unhappycamper]

16,000 have orders for Afghanistan surge
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 7, 2009 12:28:46 EST

WASHINGTON — The first wave of President Barack Obama’s new Afghanistan surge will add about 16,000 U.S. troops who got their orders over the past few days, the Pentagon announced Monday.

About 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina will leave for Afghanistan later this month, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. He would not be precise about when those troops arrive, but military sources have said the first forces are expected on the ground by Christmas.

After the first of the year, the Marines begin sending another 6,200 from Lejeune, Whitman said, and 800 from Camp Pendleton in California.

The Army will also begin sending in the first of its forces — a training brigade from Fort Drum, N.Y. Whitman said about 4,100 support forces from various places will also deploy early next year.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed the deployment orders last week. They cover a little more than half the 30,000 additional troops approved by Obama as part of an overhauled war plan announced last week.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_afghanistan_orders_120709/