Approximately 60 soldiers with the Montana Army National Guard headquartered in Kalispell are scheduled for deployment overseas.

The soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion will leave Montana this weekend for a mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas. The unit is deploying in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan.

The unit is having a public departure ceremony for friends and family today at 2 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell. The unit will leave the state Sunday from the Glacier Jet Center. The soldiers will arrive at the jet center at approximately 11:30 a.m., prior to their departure. The public is invited and encouraged to attend both events.

The soldiers will travel to Fort Hood for approximately three weeks to complete their final train-up prior to departure overseas. The unit will be mobilized for one-year providing sustainment and logistical command support for a variety of units in the theater of operation. This is the third deployment for the 495th; the first was in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the second in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The 495th CSSB is headquartered in Kalispell. It is the battalion headquarters for more than six companies in Montana. The unit was notified of possible deployment in the summer of 2017 and has been training since then.