The Alabama Army National Guard’s 152nd Military Police Company, out of Hartselle and Scottsboro, has been called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and will be deploying on Tues., June 26.

The 152nd MP will have a departure ceremony in Hartselle at the Sparkman Civic Center, 406 Nanceford Road, at 2 p.m., Sun., June 24.

While some may not be able to attend the ceremony on Sunday, Angie George, the mother of a soldier in the unit, hopes they will be able to show their support as the company leaves town.

She is asking that residents and businesses located along Alabama 36 – Main Street in downtown Hartselle – to line the roadways to show their support for the troops.

“We’d love to see as many people line the roadways with flags to salute our troops as they are being deployed,” George said.

The troops are scheduled to pull out of Hartselle around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. So she is asking residents to be lined up on the roadways by that time so that they will be in place when they will be pulling out of Hartselle.

The 152nd Military Police Company will deploy 141 Alabama National Guard Soldiers to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A list of the soldiers can be seen on Page A-10. The 152nd will provide security forces support to units based there.

The 152nd previously deployed to Iraq from 2006-2007 and conducted detention operations, as well as responded to numerous state domestic operations in times of need following natural disasters.

The 152nd will continue to undergo extensive training at a mobilization station before deploying later this summer.

State and local officials as well as senior Alabama National Guardsmen will attend the ceremony to send off the soldiers of the 152nd. Residents are encouraged to attend to show their support for the soldiers and their families.

The Alabama National Guard has called more than 18,000 personnel to active duty since Sept. 11, 2011, and remains a top contributor among the nation’s National Guard.