By Shannon Hicks

Two Newtown brothers, members of the National Guard, have been called to duty as part of the largest deployment of Connecticut guardsmen since the start of the war on terrorism.

Tom Monckton, 19, and Richard Monckton, 28, are in Fort Bragg, N.C., this week, following a send-off ceremony at Yale University's Payne-Whitney Gymnasium on January 6. Soldiers from 135 of Connecticut's 169 municipalities were part of this deployment, which begins with three to five weeks of training at Fort Bragg followed by work in Afghanistan to help in rebuilding efforts.

The Moncktons are members of the 1st Battalion 102nd Infantry Regiment. Formed in 1639 with roots traced back to the New Haven Militia, it is one of the oldest Infantry units in the country.

The deployment comes as Connecticut's Guard presence in Iraq is dwindling. While the Guard may soon have few or no troops in that conflict, Connecticut troops will soon be playing a significant role in Afghanistan. Nearly 500 troops from Connecticut will be heading overseas, mostly to Afghanistan, before the end of the month, according to military officials. The troops represent about one-quarter of Connecticut's National Guard and will comprise about five percent of US military forces in Afghanistan.

While officials have not announced exactly where the Connecticut troops will serve or what missions they will perform, the officials have said that families can expect the troops will be away for about a year.

Tom Monckton, a 2004 graduate of Newtown High School, was promoted to Specialist 4 in December. He enlisted in the Guard at the age of 17, while a junior in high school. He received MP training in 2004 with the 143rd Military Police Company, and graduated in November of that year. When he learned that his brother's unit needed volunteers to fill their ranks, he volunteered to transfer into the 1st Battalion 102nd Infantry.

In the past he has volunteered for short details including security for train stations last summer, after bombings on trains and buses in London prompted US officials to heighten this country's terror alert level. He was also deployed a few months ago to help with Katrina relief efforts.

Richard Monckton is currently a sergeant, having been promoted to that rank during the January 6 send-off. He enlisted in the Guard in 2000. Richard graduated from the University of Connecticut this past December with a criminal justice degree.

This will be his second deployment. He was deployed in 2003 for six months at the beginning of war in Iraq. At that time he was a combat engineer.

One of the main reasons the Moncktons joined the Guard, said their father Don, "was for the education benefits." Mr Monckton himself was also a member of the Armed Forces, having signed on for the US Army in 1969.

Now living in Florida, Mr Monckton came back up to Connecticut earlier this month to see his sons off following the send-off ceremony. Before moving to Fernandina Bleach, Fla., he had lived in Newtown for most of his life.

In addition to Tom and Richard, there is also Daniel Monckton, 23; all three of the Monckton sons are Eagle Scouts.

The Monckton family has long been involved in Newtown's VFW Post. Don Monckton is a past commander of both VFW Post 308 and American Legion Post 202. The boys have participated in many VFW ceremonies, including 2005 Memorial Day events.

The post has said it will be give Tom and Richard lifetime memberships when they return from Afghanistan.

"They have to set foot on foreign soil before that takes effect," said Don Monckton.

"This is a tough time for the family," Mr Monckton said last week. "We're proud of them and everything, but you get anxious sometimes too because you don't know what the future's going to bring."