Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday heaped praise on the Minnesota National Guard soldiers who will be deployed to Liberia next spring to help in the fight against the Ebola virus.
Noting the federal nature of the deployment, Dayton said he understood why Minnesota soldiers were chosen. "We have the best guardsmen and women anywhere in the country," he said. He quickly added: "It's a tough assignment, clearly. It's going to be tough for their families to go through that period of uncertainty."
The Minnesota National Guard announced Sunday that nearly 700 of its members would be deployed to the West African country for about six months starting in April. Liberia has been hardest hit by the recent outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, with more than 2,800 deaths.
The Minnesota Guard members will not be treating Ebola patients, but rather will oversee and coordinate military activities including the contruction of Ebola treatment centers. Still, Dayton said their safety during and after the deployment would be of paramount concern.
"We will go to every length humanly possible to make sure they're protected while they're there, that they come back and they're protected, and their families and everyone else is protected until they're given a clean bill of health to return," Dayton said.
The citizen-soldiers are part of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division based in Rosemount. The group previously participated in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo, and in wartime fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dayton noted that some units from the Michigan National Guard are in Liberia now, and said that Minnesota would be watching and learning from those efforts.
