By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – As many as 86 members of the Maine Army National Guard are expected to join a force of soldiers bound for Iraq.

The Mainers – engineers, headquarters workers and military police from several different units across the state – will join soldiers from two other states this spring for training at Camp Shelby, Miss.

The reason is a shortage of soldiers in Wisconsin, said Maj. Michael Backus, spokesman for the Maine Guard.

When a Wisconsin unit that was ordered to Iraq fell short by more than 100 soldiers, leaders there asked other states for help. Nevada promised some. So did Maine.

“We couldn’t send them a whole company,” said Backus.

Men and women from virtually every Maine unit – 1,600 soldiers in all – have either served overseas or will soon. So many have served that there are few groups remaining in the 1,954-person force to order abroad.

Unless Congress changes its rules, the soldiers cannot be ordered back.

The reason is a 24-month cap on how long citizen soldiers can be ordered into active duty. Guard members may volunteer to go back, and Mainers have, but they can’t be forced to go.

However, new recruits are joining. Others had already signed up when their units were deployed, but were held back because they had not finished basic training.

They are now eligible.

This weekend, 14 soldiers from the Lewiston-based Charlie Company of the 133rd Engineer Battalion were given physicals in anticipation of perhaps joining the group, said Capt. Mike Mitchell, the company commander.

The soldiers, mostly new recruits, will join volunteers who have been to Iraq before, Backus said.

They are expected to become part of a security force, he said.