Friends and family were on hand in Litchfield Wednesday to see off Iraq-bound members of the Minnesota National Guard.
One hundred seventeen members of the Guard's 849th Mobility Augmentation Company will head to Camp Shelby in Mississippi for three months of training before deploying to Iraq. The company is based in Litchfield and includes soldiers from 43 communities across Minnesota and neighboring states.
"(I am) Just hoping everything turns out good and I get to come home. It's gong to be a long time, I guess, for my family," National Guard member Jesse Stenberg said.
Being a single mom for over a year is going to be real hard. I got a good neighbor who is going to mow the lawn. So we'll get some things done. But time away is going to be real hard," Stenberg's Wife Amanda said.
At the ceremony Governor Tim Pawlenty said Minnesotans don't need to look to actors or athletes to find their heroes ? the real heroes are the men and women in uniform.
Once in Iraq, the company will conduct security force missions.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
