About 120 Kentucky Army National Guard soldiers have been deployed to the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist with hurricane-relief operations.
Guard officials say the soldiers are with the 940th Military Police Company. The Walton, Kentucky-based unit departed from the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville.
The guardsmen will serve under a joint National Guard task force in the Virgin Islands. Lt. Col. John Blackburn, commander of the 198th Military Police Battalion, says the unit has been prepared to go and is ready to offer a helping hand in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The 940th is often called upon by the state to assist with such events as the Kentucky Derby, Thunder Over Louisville and northern Kentucky's Riverfest.
