At a time when the nation's governors are complaining loudly about proposed cuts in Pentagon funding for their National Guard units, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Minnesota stands in a unique position to actually receive more funding for Guard functions.

Pawlenty's comments came shortly before Thursday's deployment of about 2,600 Minnesota National Guard troops to Iraq. Finishing a two-day meeting with troops training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Pawlenty said the state's Guard could be fully funded by Washington because it is a national leader in recruitment and retention.

The nation's governors, including Pawlenty, met last month behind closed doors with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to register concerns about funding levels for the Guard, particularly with continued lengthy deployments.

Pawlenty said they walked away assured that funding for Guard slots will remain available up to current levels and that full funding will continue if states are successful in recruiting. Because Minnesota is actually above its quota for recruitment and retention, it could receive more funding.

"We actually may be a 'beneficiary' of the fact that additional slots are available and the funding to come with them," Pawlenty said.

Assurances on equipment

While some Guard units have complained in the past that their equipment has been substandard after they've been deployed, Pawlenty and Guard officials said they have been assured that troops will be using new equipment or equipment largely already in place.

Adjutant Gen. Larry Shellito, head of the Minnesota National Guard, said that because the Minnesota Guard is the first to transform into a brigade combat team, it will be eligible for additional equipment, which could be beneficial domestically, he said.

"If we were to have some homeland state missions, the trucks are very vital to that mission, so Minnesota is doing very, very well," Shellito said.

The 2,600 Minnesota soldiers in the 1/34th Brigade Combat Team mark the largest overseas deployment of the state's National Guard since World War II.

The rest of the 4,000 brigade members being deployed include soldiers from Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey and other parts of the country.

Shows of support

On Wednesday, a group called "Serving Our Troops" brought scores of volunteers and 8,000 steaks from Minnesota for a family picnic at Camp Shelby. A parade was held Thursday for the official deployment.

The troops will arrive in Kuwait within the next three weeks to a month to begin acclimating to desert conditions. When they reach Iraq, their mission will be primarily convoy protection, with units scheduled to be stationed throughout the country. Advance teams or "torch parties" from the Guard already have been sent to Iraq.

Pawlenty said people can support the troops through the First Lady's Military Family Care Initiative, in which community organizations can provide volunteer services to the families of deployed soldiers, or through the Minnesota Military Family Foundation, a nonprofit that provides grants and emergency loans to military families.

In addition, Minnesotans can buy "Support Our Troops" license plates for an additional $30, with the money going to support veteran and military programs.

"They are going to a dangerous place with many hazards and challenges. This is not a clinical exercise. There are IEDs, there are firefights, there are snipers," Pawlenty said. "It's not the end of our appreciation for our troops, it's the beginning. Now the hard part comes."

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636