Over a dozen UW-Madison students in the Wisconsin National Guard will make their way to Iraq in the upcoming weeks.
The 14 students departing, who are a part of the 32 Infantry Brigade, will leave from Bliss, Texas. The brigade will enter to Kuwait in March or April.Officials met with the students in December to discuss the deployment and its impact on their personal lives.
""The entire campus community wishes the Wisconsin National Guard 32nd Infantry Brigade a safe deployment in Iraq,"" Chancellor Biddy Martin said in a statement.
Officials from UW-Madison recently altered services for student veterans with the intent of lessening the impact of deployment, re-entry and separation.
The university also appointed retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Bechtol to the new position of assistant dean for veterans and ombuds services. Bechtol directed UW-Madison's Army ROTC program from 2004-'08.
According to university officials, UW-Madison currently has approximately 650 student veterans and 210 ROTC students.