Watertown, NY, Apr 02, 2010 — 4,500 soldiers with Fort Drum's 1st Brigade are in the process of shipping out to Afghanistan. They'll be stationed in the northern part of the country for a year. They'll train Afghan police and soldiers and work with local governments. The 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade is a key part of President Obama's surge of 30,000 additional troops.

New York Times military correspondent Jim Dao is embedding with the brigade's 1-87th battalion. He spoke with David Sommerstein from Fort Drum a couple days before the unit deployed. He says the unit represents a new mission in Afghanistan.