Members of 181st Infantry get send-off to Afghanistan

WORCESTER (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Thousands of family members and friends have given a send-off to more than 650 soldiers headed for Afghanistan where they will provide security and help build public works projects.

The soldiers of the Massachusetts National Guard's 1st Battalion 181st Infantry Regiment left Sunday at a Commerce Bank Field ceremony in Worcester. About 5,000 friends and relatives and Gov. Deval Patrick participated.

The Massachusetts National Guard's commitment is highest since World War II. More than 1,200 soldiers from Massachusetts serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. This deployment brings the number to nearly 1,900.

In the past decade, soldiers from the regiment have been deployed to Bosnia, Cuba, Iraq and Kosovo. Many soldiers now going to Afghanistan have served in other conflicts, including Iraq.