RALEIGH, N.C. — Major General William E. Ingram, Jr., Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard, will be the guest at the first meeting this session of the North Carolina General Assembly Military Veterans Caucus.

Gen. Ingram is scheduled to discuss the pending deployment of the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, based in Clinton. The meeting will be in Room 1228 of the Legislative Building at noon on April 16.

The 30th Brigade is nicknamed the Old Hickory Brigade, after President Andrew Jackson and is the largest unit in the NC National Guard with about 4,000 soldiers based in more than 40 communities across North Carolina. This will be the unit’s second deployment to Iraq. The unit was first deployed to Iraq in February 2004 and returned in early 2005. During that deployment, five of its soldiers were killed and about 100 were wounded.

The Military Veterans Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral caucus comprised of military veterans, those who represent a district with military interest, and others with a particular interest in military affairs. The caucus steering committee includes Senator Bob Atwater, Senator Harry Brown, Senator Peter Brunstetter, Representative Larry Hall, Representative Ric Killian, and Representative Grier Martin.