JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Saying goodbye is never easy. Just ask the 40 Florida National Guard members who were celebrated Thursday night during a deployment ceremony at Cecil Airport.
Detachment 4, B Company, of the 351st Aviation Support Battalion, will be deployed for about nine months.
It will be hard for the moms, dads, sisters and sons to be apart, but their families will be motivating the group on its mission under the U.S. Central Command.
After 23 years in the military, Chief Rob Lyman said what’s next -- the preparation at Ft. Hood before going overseas -- will be tough.
“I think they’re going to have a very eye-opening experience. It’ll be a good experience for them. They’ll grow up some if they’re not already,” Lyman said.
Then, they will provide aviation, ground field maintenance and resupply support to aviation battalions.