DRUM AWAITS NEW AFGHAN ORDERS

FORT DRUM — With President Obama expected to announce an increase in troops for the Afghanistan war effort during a speech tonight at the United States Military Academy at West Point, business continued as usual at Fort Drum on Monday as officials, soldiers and families prepared for the announcement that could send more 10th Mountain Division soldiers to the war.

"Since the beginning of 9-11 we've pushed brigades out all the time," said division spokeswoman Kae L. Young. "Over the next day or two, we'll know exactly what units" will go, she said.

But deployments are common occurrences for the base and the soldiers.

"They're doing their job," she said.

According to press reports Monday, President Obama made a decision on how many troops to send to bolster U.S. forces in the country and began issuing orders Sunday afternoon. The White House announced that move, but provided no information on troop numbers or which units were likely to be affected. Previous press reports have put the likely number of new troops at around 30,000.

Maj. Gen. James L. Terry, commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, has made it clear he expects the division to play a major role in any escalation of the war effort in Afghanistan.

At a meeting of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization earlier this month, Gen. Terry predicted that the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Brigade Combat Team and part of the 10th Sustainment Brigade could receive deployment orders to Afghanistan as part of an escalation. The 10th Combat Aviation Brigade is already slated to deploy to the country in fall 2010, and the division Headquarters unit in the spring or summer of 2011.

Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team said Monday that they'd been told a deployment to Afghanistan was more a matter of "when" than "if." The unit had a planned January deployment to Iraq canceled in October.

"I'm real excited, even though the veterans are saying, 'You're not going to be very happy when you're over there,'" said Pvt. Justin R. Danowit, 24, of Estero, Fla. He arrived at Fort Drum about a month and a half ago fresh out of basic training, and was already restless with life on base.

"I really want to get over there and do my part," he said.

His friend, Pfc. Gary J. Gromacki, a 19-year-old from Crescent City, Calif., said he too was looking forward to his first deployment.

"I don't want to be one of those soldiers who you ask, 'What did you do in the Army?' and he says, 'Oh, I just stayed in the United States, I didn't do anything,'" he said.

Still, he said the prospect of an Afghanistan mission had spooked him when he learned that the brigade wouldn't be headed to Iraq.

"I was upset," he said. "For my first deployment, I was hoping to go to the calmer one. ... Now we're going straight into the mess of everything. ... You've got to be a little more observant, I guess."

Pvt. Danowit and Pfc. Gromacki said they planned to watch the president's speech together with friends in the barracks.