Another National Guard unit with ties close to Marengo County has been called to help serve in a possible war with Iraq.

In a release issued by Gov. Bob Riley and Adjutant Gen. Mark Bowen, 160 Army National Guard members of the 1166th Military Police Co. from Greensboro and Thomasville have been called to active duty.

Included in that call up, announced Thursday, also was the 781st Transportation Company of Fort Deposit, Georgiana and Daleville, and the Alabama Air National Guard’s 232nd Combat Communications squadron from Montgomery. From the 781st, 170 guard members have been activated; from the 232nd, 40 members have been activated.

Though there are likely a number of local residents involved in the latest call-up, but at Thursday evening’s Demopolis City Council meeting, Fire Chief George Davenport announced that he had lost his second fireman to the activation.

On Jan. 24, 160 Guard members from the Demopolis 167th Engineer Co. were deployed to Fort. Benning. It was confirmed last week that the local unit will be sent to the Persian Gulf at the end of this month.

The 1166th out of Greensboro and Thomasville has a mission to provide military police combat support in an assigned area of operations. This includes battlefield area and facilities security, force protection and prisoner of war operations.