Deployment Time Reduced for National Guard Unit

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota National Guard unit preparing for duty in Afghanistan will be home earlier than first planned.

The military has reduced the nine-month deployment for the 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion by about three months. Maj. Anthony Deiss tells KCCR radio that the reduction likely is part of the drawdown of American troops in Afghanistan.

A deployment ceremony for the 152nd is scheduled Saturday in Pierre. The 68-member unit will fly to Fort Hood, Texas, on Sunday to begin final training.

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