Fort Wainright Deployment Ceremony Set

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – The 539th Transportation Company will hold a deployment ceremony Friday at 11 a.m. on Ladd Field to honor soldiers deploying to Iraq.

The group of about 160 soldiers will provide convoy escort in the area of operations. Officials expect the deployment to last about 12 months.

The 539th Transportation Co. was reactivated in March of this year after more than 30 years on inactive status. The soldiers completed individual and group training at Fort Wainwright to prepare for deployment.

Originally constituted as Company C, 1st Battalion, 48th Quartermaster Regiment on May 1, 1936, the unit was activated Aug. 1, 1940. While assigned to a permanent overseas station, it was redesignated the 3523rd Quartermaster Truck Company. On June 20, 1947, it was redesignated as the 539th. The 539th was awarded four unit citations for outstanding performance against the enemy in Korea. The 539th was alerted for service in Vietnam on Jan. 13, 1967, and provided support for 1,100 aircraft while in Vietnam. The unit was inactivated June 30, 1971, at Phu Loi, Vietnam.

The ceremony is open the public. Visitors must stop at the visitors’ center at the main gate and show valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration.