Ellington

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi state lawmaker has been deployed to Iraq for a yearlong stint with the U.S. Army Reserves.

Rep. David Myers, a 55-year-old Democrat from McComb, deployed earlier this week after receiving notice of a potential deployment in the form of a "warning order" in February.

Myers spoke by phone from a mobilization base but wouldn't tell the Enterprise-Journal his current location or what unit he would be serving with, citing security concerns.

Myers has been in the military for 35 years and is a sergeant major. He's been a state representative since 1996.

House Speaker Phillip Gunn announced Myer's deployment plans at the Capitol on Monday. His seat will stand empty for the next year.

This is Myers' second deployment. His first was during Operation Desert Storm.