Wednesday, August 13, 2008 --- 7:50 a.m.

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- A central Wisconsin priest is preparing to go to the Middle East for his second tour of duty.

Father Dan Farley of Saint Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Amherst has been a chaplain for the United States Army since 1994.

He is scheduled to be in Afghanistan for one year but thinks his time could be extended because there are less than 100 Catholic priests.

Farley was deployed to central Iraq for 11 months in 2004. He expects Afghanistan will be more challenging because he says the Afghan people are frustrated with the soldiers' presence.

He doesn't carry a weapon but says the Army gives him a personal escort.

Farley will head to Fort Benning in Georgia for training after Labor Day before heading to Afghanistan.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)