By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

The latest deployment of 86 Maine National Guard members to Iraq will draw from units across the state, including 15 from Western Maine.

“They come from towns from Kittery to Caribou,” said Maj. Michael Backus, the public affairs officer for the Maine National Guard.

Ten will come from Charley Company, 133rd Engineer Battalion, a unit that works from armories in both Lewiston and Norway. That’s the largest single deployment from one unit. The 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Regiment from Calais is sending eight soldiers.

All told, Aroostook County is sending the most troops, 20, with Kennebec sending 19 Guard members.

In Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin and Oxford counties, a breakdown of deployment by community shows Lewiston sending three soldiers, Auburn sending two, with one each from Canton, Chesterville, Dixfield, Harrison, Livermore Falls, Oxford, Poland, Rumford, Sabattus and Turner.

Backus said some of those soldiers may have already served a tour of duty in Iraq and then volunteered for a second tour. Others weren’t deployed earlier due to training requirements or for other reasons.

Once in Iraq they’ll bolster the state’s National Guard contingent that’s already on the ground there.

The 152nd Maintenance Co. out of Augusta, with 129 soldiers, is the largest Maine Guard unit already on deployment overseas, according to Backus’ office. There are other smaller elements and individual volunteers also on deployment.

Maine also has a security force unit of 170 soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., preparing to deploy to Iraq, and 82 soldiers of the 240th Engineer Group of Augusta now at Camp Atterbury, Ind., preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.

In all, about 800 soldiers and airmen are on active duty with Maine’s Army National Guard and Air National Guard. More than 1,600 Guard soldiers and 1,000 Guard airmen and women have been called from Maine to active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, Backus said.