More than 3,500 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers were called for deployment to Iraq Friday as part of the largest deployment of Wisconsin soldiers since World War II.

Wisconsin’s 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, along with six other units from Wisconsin, have been on alert since 2007 and have recently been assigned to depart in February 2009, according to Major Jackie Guthrie.

“Being on alert means that they will probably be deployed and should start getting ready,” Guthrie said. “Mobilization means there’s the date, there’s the time, and there’s the place to go.”

Overall, about 4,500 soldiers were called for deployment, but only a maximum of 3,500 will be called into duty.

“The combined authorized strength of units of mobilization is over 4,500, but due to medical situations, soldiers still in training and things of that nature, not everyone will be eligible to deploy,” Guthrie said. “We called up all to ensure we have 3,500 ready to go.”

According to Guthrie, soldiers sent overseas next February will serve for a year. They will report for duty at local armories in the middle of the month, then train at an army installation in Texas for two months before deployment to Iraq. They are scheduled to return in February 2010.

When the war began, soldiers would have a few days’ notice of deployment, according to Guthrie. After notification, infantry would spend up to six months training at mobilization centers and then 12 months in combat.

But in January 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in conjunction with the National Guard, the Department of Defense, the United States Army and the U.S. Congress, changed that policy so soldiers now have nearly a year’s notice before deployment.

“The change was in response to ensure we take our soldiers away from civilian jobs and families for as little time as possible, to make their lives more predictable,” Guthrie said.

The Secretary of Defense is not the only one trying to make deployment easier for soldiers of the National Guard. Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, a 33-year veteran of the Air National Guard, who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, said the Legislature is active in helping soldiers, especially students, deploy easily and get back to regular living.

“If classes are interrupted, they have an opportunity to get out of classes,” Nass said. “Another thing is contracts. If deployed, they can get out of cell phone contracts and apartment leases. We want to keep aspects of life back here from entangling their lives, so they don’t have to worry about what they left back here.”

After the mobilization, more than 60 percent of Wisconsin National Guard’s forces will be available in Wisconsin for state emergencies, equaling a total force of about 6,000 available soldiers.

The National Guard also announced that at the end of November the 951st Sapper Company of about 100 soldiers will be ordered into active duty for a security mission, and the 732nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion of 75 soldiers is on alert for possible mobilization in spring 2009.