Pennsylvania Army National Guard units based in Grove City and Butler are among many statewide that have been called up for service in Europe to support Operation Enduring Freedom, the overseas war on terrorism.

Members of Battery D, 229th Field Artillery, based at the armory in Grove City, will mobilize July 5, while members of Company A, 128th Forward Support Battalion, Butler, will mobilize today, said Maj. Gen. William B. Lynch, state adjutant general.

Maj. Grey Berrier, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery, New Castle, said 62 soldiers from the Grove City battery, which falls under his command, have been called up.

Forty-eight members of the Butler unit have been called, said company commander Lt. Victor McGee, adding that some are from Mercer County.

Both units are with the 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized).

Statewide, about 2,000 men and women serving in the 28th will be heading to Europe, said the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

The units have been called to serve for up to a year. The actual time spent overseas likely will be six months, said Maj. Shawn Mell, public affairs officer for the 28th.

The group has been designated Task Force Keystone.

The soldiers will be assigned to U.S. military bases in Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands to assist active-duty forces in stepped-up security measures prompted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the department said.

Duties will include staffing gates and checkpoints, guarding critical facilities and conducting patrols.

"The mission in Europe requires basic soldiering skills," Mell said. "If you went through basic training and completed all of your training, you're qualified."

The 28th has known since the beginning of spring that the call-up was likely, and prepared for it by calling each unit into Fort Indiantown Gap -- starting in May -- for a day to check the accuracy of their records and undergo medical screenings, Mell said.

In some cases, soldiers were treated for medical conditions on the spot, mostly for dental problems.

Task Force Keystone will relieve members of the 35th Infantry Division, a National Guard contingent from Kansas, Illinois and Kentucky, which has been active since January.

Task Force Keystone members are being called up in three increments.

Units in Scranton, Johnstown, Washington, Ligonier, Friedens, Connellsville, Mount Pleasant, Butler and Clearfield start their assignments today. About 800 people are affected.

July 5, the Grove City battery will be joined by soldiers from Spring City, Lehighton, Pottsville, Reading, Hamburg, Hazleton, York, Philadelphia, Bethlehem and Scranton. All told, 500 will be called.

The final 700, from Lewisburg, Sunbury, Mansfield, Plymouth, Philadelphia, Pine Grove, Kane and Lock Haven, will be mobilized July 25.

After mobilization, soldiers will report to Fort Indiantown Gap for a day of briefings and equipment inspection. They then will spend three weeks at Fort Dix, N.J., for training and processing, before being sent to their overseas assignments.

The combined European and Bosnian call-ups are the largest mobilization of the 28th Division since the Korean War.