SD Impact Unknown With Expected Troop Draw Down

Thousands of South Dakota Soldiers and Airmen have already served overseas and another 11 members of an Army Guard unit are set to leave Rapid City this Friday, bound for Afghanistan.

While the South Dakota National Guard doesn't want to prematurely comment on what President Barack Obama is expected to say during his State of the Union address, it did release a few comments Tuesday.

"It's unknown at this time if any of our National Guard units currently deployed, or that are expecting to deploy within the next year, will be affected by a President's announcement of a troop draw down," South Dakota National Guard MAJ Anthony Deiss said.  "SDNG units will continue to train and prepare for any mission they have been alerted for, as well as maintain its high state of readiness for any mission asked of them from the federal or state level."

There are about 4,400 members of the South Dakota National Guard.