The 432 Civil Affairs Battalion, which includes state Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, left the state Thursday for further training and eventual deployment to Iraq in the coming months.

The battalion will go to Fort Bragg, N.C., for several weeks of training before yearlong deployment, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Gundrum is the third ranking Republican in the GOP-controlled state Assembly. He has served in the Legislature since 1998.

State Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, who also served in Iraq while in the Assembly, said lawmakers who serve in Iraq rely heavily on their staff to keep up with legislative duties.

Gundrum will remain in his leadership post, according to Suder. Gundrum plans to run for reelection in 2008. Suder said Gundrum’s deployment would not hurt his reelection campaign and opponents who criticize him being in Iraq are politically “really playing with fire.”