First Afghan refugees arrive at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin

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"This afternoon, special immigrant visa applicants, their families and other individuals at risk arrived here," the post read.

Other refugees are finalizing their processing at Fort Lee, in Virginia.

They were expected to be flown to Wisconsin Sunday evening and other days this week.

Spokeswoman Cheryl Phillips said refugees were flying into Volk Field Air National Guard Base and being transported to Fort McCoy.

It’s located between Tomah and Sparta, about 100 miles northwest of Madison.

The Afghan refugees will be housed in Wisconsin, Virginia and Texas.

"Approximately 1,000 service members from multiple units of the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve have begun to assemble at Fort McCoy to provide support to Operation Allies Refuge," base officials wrote on Facebook. "U.S. Northern Command is the Department of Defense’s lead combatant command for this mission in the continental United States and is providing oversight in support of the Department of State."

The refugees will receive housing, medical care and transportation at Fort McCoy.

"The Fort McCoy community is proud to join U.S. Army North, U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Defense team in supporting the State Department with this mission," the Facebook post said. "We look forward to the opportunity to treat our temporary guests with the utmost respect and Wisconsin hospitality as they commence their Special Immigrant Visa process."

It’s not clear how long the refugees will stay at Fort McCoy.

The Facebook post was signed by Brig. Gen. Chris Norrie.

The last time Fort McCoy served as a refugee center was in 1980, when it housed 14,000 Cubans who fled Fidel Castro’s government.

Source: https://www.wisn.com/article/video-national-zoo-celebrates-panda-first-birthday/37374585