Depolyment sendoff to include record group-hug try

HONOLULU - The 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) will attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest group hug during a deployment ceremony Aug. 16 at Aloha Stadium. The Hawai'i Army National Guard's 29th IBCT will be heading to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. About 1,700 soldiers will deploy. The 29th IBCT is made up of a headquarters company, and cavalry, field artillery, brigade support, and special troops battalions and the 100th/442nd Infantry of the U.S. Army Reserve. The mission for this deployment will be two-fold, reserve officials said: The troops will provide security at several installations in Kuwait and will be the security force for units convoying north to Iraq. The 29th IBCT was mobilized in August 2004 and deployed to Iraq in 2005. Families and friends are invited to attend the... [read full story]