A church service is scheduled for this afternoon in American Samoa for the 29 Army reservists, who will be mobilized at the end of the week to Fort Hood, in Texas in preparations for Iraq deployment.
Government, religious and military leaders, along with the Governor, Togiola Tulafono, and families of the soldiers will attend the service.
Lt. Col. Howard Sugai, a spokesman for the Honolulu-based Pacific Army Reserve, says 26 reservists have been confirmed for mobilization but the processing soldiers is still ongoing.
He says that a farewell service will be held June 9th at the Army Reserve Centre before the soldiers depart the next day.
While in Texas, the local reservists and a few soldiers out of Hawaii, will undergo physical/medical examinations and final preparatory training before deploying to Iraq for one year.