HARLAN, Ky. — About 1,000 people cheered and waved flags as Kentucky National Guard troops marched in formation to a parking lot where families and friends gathered to wish them well.

        The guardsmen were being deployed Friday as part of Operation Noble Eagle.

        “It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen,” said Capt. Anthony Brock, the company commander. “These people are so supportive.”

During the national anthem, members of the Harlan National Guard Company A, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry salute during a community rally Thursday. (The Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

        Capt. Brock is among 130 guardsmen leaving Friday for Fort Bragg, N.C., where they will provide base security.

        Usually such a farewell would be reserved for soldiers being deployed to some war-torn country overseas. But with the possibility of additional terrorist attacks on the United States, former Army infantry officer Ron Johnson said the reality is the Guardsmen “may be put in harm's way right here at home.”

        The Kentucky National Guard doesn't play down that possibility.

        “If there wasn't a sense of emergency on the part of the president and the national command authority, none of this would be occurring,” said Lt. Col. Phil Miller, a spokesman for the National Guard in Frankfort.

        Lt. Col. Miller said about 310 of the state's guardsmen in three cities have received deployment orders. That includes 110 infantry troops from Middlesboro who leave today, and 70 military police officers from Louisville who leave Tuesday.

        “The send-off that the soldiers are getting in Harlan is a great reflection of the community spirit that backs the National Guard,” Lt. Col. Miller said.

        Staff Sgt. Paul Johnson has said his goodbyes to his civilian colleagues and students at Cawood Elementary School, where he teaches. He said his wife and two daughters aren't happy about his deployment but that they understand.

        Capt. Brock, the company commander, expressed similar feelings.

        “Nobody wants to go to war, but that's what we're trained for and we're ready to go do it,” he said.

Building the new Reds ballpark requires major league precision
Guardsmen on duty at airport
New runway's effects listed
City's bill for lawyer over limit
Arson likely in barn fires
City race issues analyzed
Man sentenced to 65 years in killing
Paideia schools rank low
Proof city's settling down: mayor monitors football
Tristate A.M. Report
UC hunts for spots to trim
Web site provides tax levy figures
Workers thought photos OK
SAMPLES: The Point
Antiques show back in old home
School adds adviser for kids
Transcribing fee called 'exorbitant'
Area emergency workers reflect on 9-11
Districts differ over funding
Education theme: 'Go Higher'
Harlan bids farewell to National Guard troops
Kentucky News Briefs
Oil tanks probably polluting
Public's wishes to be in park plans
Rescuers' fate hits hard
State faces possibility of more budget cuts