Over 500 Kentucky National Guard members are on their way to the Horn of Africa. Soldiers from all over the state, including Paducah, Cadiz, Hopkinsville, Owensboro and Madisonville set out for a nine month deployment as part of the 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery. The Lexington-based unit’s mission is to promote regional security and stability while strengthening national relationships. The last time the 2/138th deployed to Africa was in the 1990s as part of famine relief in Somalia and Rwanda.