Five American Samoa army reservists will be deployed to Afghanistan with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
This has been confirmed by the spokesman for the Pacific Army Reserve headquarters, Captain Brian Melanephy.
Capitain Melanephy said the five local soldiers are with the 411th Engineering Battalion and have volunteered to go to Afghanistan with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
The Honolulu Star Bulletin reported yesterday that Hawaii National Guard officials said the mobilization is not related to the planned buildup of US forces announced by President Barack Obama.
When asked about the possibility of more local reservists being called up Captain Melanephy said As Army Reserve Soldiers there is always the possibility of being called to Active Duty service.
However, at this point, it is too early to determine if any additional Army Reserve Soldiers from American Samoa will be mobilized.
American Samoa has more than 200 Army Reservists.
