FAIRFIELD – Send-off ceremonies for two units of the Maine Army National Guard will be held in various parts of the state this weekend. The 133rd Engineer Battalion and 152nd Field Artillery Battalion have been mobilized for service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Members of the 152nd Field Artillery Battalion will be honored at a send-off ceremony at 6 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence High School’s Williamson Performing Arts Center in Fairfield.

The troops were called up shortly after Thanksgiving to provide security for troops already serving in Iraq. The battalion consists of about 400 soldiers from Aroostook County, with batteries in Fort Kent, Caribou, Presque Isle, Houlton, Calais and Waterville.

After the send-off in Fairfield, troops will head to Fort Dix, N.J., for two to three months of additional training before going overseas. The deployment period for the troops will be approximately 18 months, according to guardsman Danny Toby of Houlton.

A ceremony for the A Company of the 133rd Engineer Battalion will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Belfast Armory.

Send-off ceremonies for individual companies of the 133rd Engineer Battalion are also scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Portland, Lewiston and Westbrook.