May 3, 2007 9:20 pm US/Eastern
National Guard Soldiers Off To Iraq
by Kate Merrill
HUDSON (WBZ) ―
Hundreds of National Guard troops leave the state tomorrow morning for Camp Shelby, Miss., where they'll train for two months before heading to Iraq.
They'll spent a year there, providing security for ground forces – one of the most dangerous missions of the war.
"It's my time so I'm ready to go," 1st Lt. Constance Ferguson said. "I'm comfortable. I'm looking forward to serving my country."
But talk to the families of some 150 National Guard members from the 181st Infantry who attended Thursday's sendoff, and you'll hear another story.
"He's nervous," Lori McGurn said as she prepared to see off her husband, Stephen. "Not excited, not happy."
Lori has three kids to handle all alone now, including 8-week-old Hannah.
It's very sad," said Stephen McGurn's mother, Barbara. "I'm scared, worrying about Lori taking care of the kids."
Stephen McGurn has been deployed before, but never to Iraq.
"It scares the heck out of me," his mother said. "He puts on a brave face. He doesn't say a whole lot."
What you will hear from the soldiers is what they will miss.
"I'm gonna' miss my home, gonna' miss my job, my civilian job, gonna' miss my dog," 1st Lt. Jeffrey Arleque said.
And you will hear what matters most on the mission.
"Ultimately," said Ferguson, "I want to come home with all my soldiers."
"We start the countdown as of today to come back home," Barbara McGurn added.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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