Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch presents a state flag to

Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch presents a state flag to Capt. Kyle Gruber, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 829th Engineer Company, and his family during a 10:30 a.m. sendoff ceremony March 28 at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 829th Engineer Company is a vertical engineering company located in Chippewa Falls, Wis., with detachments in Richland Center, Wis., and Ashland, Wis. While normally the unit's mission is building construction, during its deployment to Afghanistan's Regional Command East the approximately 160 members of the 829th will be deconstructing U.S. forward military bases as part of efforts to reduce U.S. troop presence there and prevent the enemy from reclaiming those materials. The 829th will also recover, organize and redistribute military materials to save taxpayer money. The unit is expected to return in the spring of 2015. (Wisconsin National Guard photo by Vaughn R. Larson)