By Cathleen Twardzik In June 2009, James Marques, who grew up in Somerville, was informed that he would be deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. Marques is part of the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion and was promoted to the rank of Major in the US Army Reserve in January 2010. He has been in the Guard Reserve, in several different units, for 27 years.

Currently, he is stationed at Fort Dix, NJ — where he and the other members of his battalion will remain until May.

At that time, they will "head over to Bahgram, Afghanistan, until February [2011]," said Marques.

The tour will be solely in Afghanistan. However, "I've been to Iraq twice before."

To date, Marques has completed two tours. In November 2008, he returned from his second tour in Iraq.

The 1982 Somerville High School graduate was raised on Fairfax Street. After having attended Bunker Hill Community College, at which he earned his Associates Degree, Marques graduated from University of Massachusetts at Lowell with a BS in engineering in 1994. Now, he is employed as an engineer at 3M, which is located in Methuen, MA.

During his upcoming tour, his responsibilities will be "similar to last time. However, I will be the Operations Officer at the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion Headquarters — co-located with the 101st Airborne Division, out of Fort Campbell, KY," said Marques.

However, "We are not required to do any tours. If our unit goes, then we go — just like a firehouse that gets a call. No one stays back."

According to Marques, his upcoming experience in Afghanistan will be drastically different from his previous ones. That is because "It's Afghanistan — not Iraq. They are not the same type of people. Many Americans have no idea there's [a] difference."

In general, how does Marques feel about his upcoming tour? "I feel great. It's an awesome feeling to serve your nation — just like a policeman or fireman or teacher who serves their community and knows they can make a huge impact. I know that all of these people have made a difference in my life and my family and friends' lives, as well," he said.