National Guard unit gets order

AUSTINTOWN -- The Ohio National Guard's 216th Engineer Battalion, based in Austintown, has received an alert order, usually a precursor to an order to mobilize.
"It doesn't mean it will become a mobilization order, but more often than not, it turns into a mobilization order," said James Sims, an Ohio National Guard spokesman in Columbus. "This is an advanced warning."
There is no typical schedule for how long it will take for units to receive mobilization orders after receiving alert orders, he said.
The unit has more than 500 members, but it is not known how many would be called to active duty if a mobilization order is issued, Sims said. Also, it is not known where the unit would be sent and what its mission would be, he said.
The engineer unit specializes in construction and mine clearing, Sims said.
"They can do a lot of things," he said. "They go and make places that are unlivable, livable."