FORT LEE, Va (WTVR) -- A deployment ceremony for dozens of soldiers at Fort Lee is taking place, as they prepare to leave their families behind to head overseas.
The soldiers are from the Army's 111th Quartermaster Company, and are headed to Afghanistan and Kuwait for six months to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 111th Quartermaster Company is one of the Army's only two active duty mortuary affairs units. The company is responsible for recovering and caring for the remains of soldiers killed during service.
For some this deployment will be their first, while for others they have previously served overseas. There are mixed emotions from those preparing to deploy. But at least one soldier deploying for the first time told CBS 6 News, he is ready to serve.
"We are ready to go," Fort Lee Army 1st Lieutenant Juan Bonet said. "Our soldiers are trained and ready to execute the mission, which is a very important mission. They are going to execute it with honor, dignity and respect."
The send-off ceremony will take place at Fort Lee beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 3.
