Sgt., Ben Johnson, Osawatomie, with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry (2-137th) based in Lawrence, waits to board a bus at the National Guard Armory, 200 Iowa St. with other members of his National Guard unit early Wednesday morning. Sixty-five National Guardsmen departed Lawrence for Louisiana at 5 a.m. to help with cleanup efforts along the Gulf Coast in response to Hurricane Gustav.

Two buses loaded with members of the Kansas National Guard pulled out of Lawrence well before dawn on Wednesday.

Unlike three years ago when many of the same 65 men of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion of the 137th Infantry, left for Iraq, this time their destination was Louisiana. They will be assisting with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Gustav.

“We’re going from sand to water,” said Staff Sgt. Matt Davids, of Lawrence. “We’re glad to help our fellow Americans here.”

A 13-hour bus trip will take them to the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Beauregard, near Alexandria, La. Once there they will receive their orders, company commander Capt. Darren Koberlein said.

“We’ve been told to expect site security, commodities distribution and possible water rescues,” he said.

Before boarding the buses, Koberlein worked on his laptop computer in an office in the National Guard Armory, 200 Iowa. Other Guardsmen gathered in the gym and checked equipment and personal belongings in their 50-pound backpacks.

Davids, who as a civilian works for Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, said he was not surprised at being sent to Louisiana. The alert for possible call-up went out over the weekend, he said.

“We had pretty good communication. Cell phones keep us together” said Davids, who is single but leaves a girlfriend behind. “We’ve been sitting here since Monday getting ready to go.”

The deployment is scheduled to last 10 to 15 days, Koberlein said. “That’s what we’re prepared to sustain ourselves for,” he said.

Much of the Guard’s equipment was sent down more than 24 hours earlier, Koberlein said. The Kansas Guard has enough equipment to help in Louisiana as well as be prepared for a disaster at home, including trucks and Humvees, he said. News accounts indicated that the situation in hurricane-damaged areas was under control, he added.

“Local police departments haven’t folded,” Koberlein said. “As long as local governments and their agencies are still functioning we’re just there to support them.”

Helping in Louisiana will be “piece of cake” compared to what the unit went through in Iraq in 2005 and 2006, said Sgt. 1st Class John McLean, of Lawrence.

“We’re proud to go and help Louisiana in their time of need,” he said. “I’m sure they’d do the same for us. I’m looking forward to it.”

The 2nd Battalion also is composed of companies in Kansas City, Kan., and Wichita. They, too, are sending troops to Louisiana.

About 600 Kansas Guardsmen are being sent to the Gulf Coast.

Members of the 35th Division from Leavenworth arrived in Louisiana Tuesday and were headed to Baton Rouge. The 169th Corp Support Sustainment Battalion in Olathe sent 137 soldiers. The Guard’s Incident Response Vehicle also left Topeka Tuesday. The IRV will provide communications support in Louisiana, including satellite phones, Internet and “hotspot” capabilities.