Topeka ? About 500 Kansas Army National Guard soldiers have received deployment orders for duty in Iraq, the adjutant general’s office said Thursday.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 137th Infantry (Mechanized) – about 100 of whom are stationed in Lawrence – will head to Fort Sill, Okla., before deploying to Baghdad.

The battalion traces its history back to the Civil War and has nicknamed itself “1st Kansas,” because it previously was designated as the 1st Infantry Regiment, Kansas Volunteer Militia. The unit saw action in both world wars, including the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

“After several warning orders for mobilization this past year, the soldiers of 1st Kansas are ready to do our mission in Iraq,” said Lt. Col. James Trafton, commander of the unit.

The soldiers will be operating the Joint Visitors Bureau in Baghdad and responsible for area security, Trafton said.

The battalion is headquartered in Kansas City, Kan., with units in Lawrence and Wichita. Roughly 350 soldiers from the battalion were sent to Germany in 2002 for duty under Operation Enduring Freedom, generally referred to as the nation’s war against terrorism.

About 700 soldiers from the 891st Engineer Battalion based in Iola are serving a yearlong tour in Iraq.

Three Kansas National Guard soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.