More than 70 soldiers with a U.S. Army reserve unit based at Camp Withycombe head to Afghanistan this fall as one of the final waves before U.S. troops leave the country in 2014.

Seventy-four soldiers with the 320th Psychological Operations Company will leave in August for training at Camp Rilea north of Seaside. Then they mobilize in September at Fort Dix, N.J., and deploy in October to Afghanistan.

A large percentage of the unit’s military families live in Clackamas County. Capt. Katherine Kennedy has been pleased with her company’s morale through basic training this month in Clackamas.

“As we deploy we are taking a piece of the local community with us,” Kennedy said. “We have felt a lot of support from the surrounding businesses and military organizations and know our families will be taken care of during our absence.”

Psychological Operations is a specialized branch, and there are only 32 such units in the country.

“We feel pretty special to be honored with having one in Clackamas,” Kennedy said.

Previously the unit was located in Portland, but was moved in 2005 to Camp Withycombe during the defense base realignment and closure process.

Providing information

Members of the 320th Psychological Operations Company will work with troops and villagers to help bridge cultural divides and provide information to residents.

U.S. troops recognize that the warlords, being from the area, often have a leg up on a culturally sensitive messages. So the troops’ goal in information dissemination and face-to-face interaction is to come to share understanding with the military’s “focus group.”

Now known as Military Information Support Operations, the unit’s work will involved getting information to Afghan villages and towns, not providing propaganda, Kennedy said.

“Paying someone off for loyalty only lasts as long as the money does, or until someone comes along paying more,” Kennedy said. “Sharing the truth with someone and having it validated empowers the individual and builds a vested loyalty. The biggest thing we bring is we are trained in their culture. We spend time with them and respond to their needs.”

Interpreters go through a vetting process, Kennedy noted, that also involves a lot of face-to-face time to gain trust and camaraderie.

The unit has a product production detachment with about a dozen soldiers who produce radio and broadcast scripts, posters, pamphlets and billboards. Previously the Clackamas Review partnered with the unit during one of its battle assemblies to share ideas on information production and dissemination.