Governor Jim Doyle ordered 500 Wisconsin National Guard troops to Louisiana Wednesday, to help with rescue and cleanup from Hurricane Katrina.

About 50 troops will travel aboard three Huey helicopters equipped with rescue harnesses and usable as air ambulances, as well as two Blackhawk helicopters.

The rest of the detachment will follow within the next two days in about 100 trucks. Also in the mix will be an R-C-26 military airliner outfitted with night vision and infrared sensors to aid in finding people.

Guard Lieutenant Colonel Tim Donovan says troops are getting their calls to duty Wednesday evening.

But he says the exact timing of their departure will be controlled by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., which stepped in to synchronize the arrival of military units in the hurricane area so that they can be used most effectively.

The governor says he responded to a plea for help from emergency officials in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Here are the units involved:
--Company A, 132nd Support Battalion from Janesville, with attachments in Waupaca and Eau Claire.
--The 1157th Transportation Company from Oshkosh.
--The 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation from Madison.
--The 832nd Medical Company from West Bend.
--The 64th Rear Operations Center from Monroe.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)