Military vehicles, equipment being loaded for Mideast journey

SAVANNAH - Preparations for a possible war with Iraq intensified at the Georgia Ports Authority on Tuesday where 1,400 military vehicles and 1,300 pieces of equipment were being loaded onto a Navy ship. <br> <br> The Navy ship Mendonca arrived around 6 a.m., and Army vehicles started rolling on board within hours. It will take about 48 hours to fully load the ship. <br> <br> ``The pressure of getting this ship under way and here this morning is incredible,&#39;&#39; Chief Officer Michael Bacher said. ``We&#39;ve been working around the clock to get this ship ready.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Bacher and the Mendonca&#39;s 29 other crew members were called to duty last Wednesday by the Pentagon. They arrived in Newport News, Va., on Friday and set sail Sunday morning, Bacher said. The Mendonca is among ``surge&#39;&#39; ships with the Military Sealift Command, a government-owned, civilian-crewed merchant marine fleet. The ships are usually standing by, waiting for a possible surge in demand for shipments of military cargo. <br> <br> The equipment loaded in Savannah Tuesday belongs to the Army&#39;s 3rd Infantry Division, which is deploying to Kuwait. The division already has one brigade in Kuwait for a training exercise, and on Dec. 30 the Defense Department ordered the entire division to deploy there. <br> <br> The deployment is a response to a growing conflict with Iraq over weapons of mass destruction. <br> <br> Meanwhile, in Augusta, 88 members of the Army Reserve&#39;s 319th Transportation Company reported to a reserve center Tuesday to prepare for mobilization this weekend. <br> <br> The unit will leave for Fort Stewart this weekend and likely be deployed to Kuwait as part of the building of troops preparing for a possible confrontation with Iraq. <br> <br> Capt. Mohandas Martin, the unit&#39;s commander, wanted the men and women to report early this week to get military matters taken care of so the latter part of the week can be spent tying up loose ends at home. <br> <br> Martin said about 20 people did not show up Tuesday. They won&#39;t be considered AWOL until Friday, he said. <br> <br> The 319th is trained to haul fuel in support of ground and air forces. Twenty members of the unit are already in Kuwait.