Family members shed tears and bid farewell Tuesday to soldiers soon heading overseas.
About 70 members of the Lawrence-based Companies B and E of the 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry left Tuesday afternoon for pre-deployment training at Fort Riley. The group is among about 400 Kansas guardsmen being sent to Europe for support duties in Operation Enduring Freedom, the war on terrorism.
"At Fort Riley, we'll be practicing our security mission, our military posts and civil disturbance training," said Capt. Brian Keating, company commander for Echo Company in Lawrence.
"Quite a bit of work will be going on."
He said the Kansas troops will be at Fort Riley until Feb. 3 and then will be at Fort Stewart, Ga., for at least two weeks of training. He said the group originally was to leave earlier this month but couldn't because there were too many troops going through Fort Stewart at the time.
In Georgia, Keating, 35, Lenexa, said the Kansas units will join two Illinois-based National Guard companies and then leave toward the end of February for their six-month stay in Europe.
"We'll be pulling security for as many posts as we can to free up active-duty persons who will continue their support on the fight on terrorism," he said.
For security reasons, deployment locations could not be released, according to the Adjutant General's Department. The deployment is the first time an entire Kansas National Guard unit has been called up for overseas duty since World War II.
Saying goodbye to family members was not an easy task, but Keating said families would reunite one more time at Fort Riley before the troops leave for Georgia.
Sgt. Chris Harvey, 27, Shawnee, said it may be even harder for him to leave his wife, Jennifer, because they recently learned she's pregnant with their second child. If all goes well, Harvey said he hopes to return home for the August birth.
"We're prepared as we hope to be," he said. "However, I don't think anyone is ever prepared to leave their family."
Keating said his wife, Brenda, also was expecting their second child about the same time as Harvey's wife. The Keatings have a 2-year-old daughter, Madeline.
"It isn't the best time to be leaving," Keating said.
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