Guard’s 790th part of Discovery Walk events

The Washington Army National Guard’s 790th Chemical Co. will participate in Friday and Saturday events during the weekend’s International Discovery Walk Festival.

The unit will provide an honor guard and join Mayor Tim Leavitt during Friday’s 4 p.m. opening ceremony.

Soldiers and family members will join the community Saturday morning during the 5K portion of the Lewis & Clark Discovery Walk.

The 790th also will host an open house from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the Vancouver Barracks, Building 993, between McClelland Road and Evergreen Boulevard.

The 790th, headquartered in Vancouver, consists of about 120 citizen soldiers. It served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from October 2007 to October 2008. It also supports local, state and federal agencies in managing effects of chemical, biological or nuclear disasters.

“The Washington National Guard has been part of the Vancouver community since before statehood, and we’re proud to continue to serve the great people of Vancouver, our state and our nation,” Capt. Dan Hall said in a news release.