Members of 181st Infantry head to Afghanistan

A send-off ceremony is being held this weekend for over 670 members of the National Guard who are shipping off to Afghanistan.

The members of the 181st Infantry Regiment, from armories in Worcester, Gardner and Cambridge, are expected to spend the next year overseas.

Their job will be to provide security to 12 Provincial Reconstruction Teams located in Eastern, Western, and Southern Afghanistan that are working to extend the authority of the Afghan central government and help with reconstruction projects throughout the country.

The unit also will be responsible for security at Camp Phoenix in Kabul.

The send-off is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at Commerce Bank Field in Worcester.