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Brooke Walker ReportingThis afternoon, soldiers from the 321st engineer battalion prepared to leave for the Middle East.
The 42 soldiers who left are with the Army Reserve. They are mostly from the Ogden and Salt Lake area, and judging from the crowd this morning, a lot of people are going to miss them.
Soldier: "Definitely proud to go. Doing our duty, doing our job. Everyone has a job. It's just like going to work every day. It's just a little farther away."
Today brought a lot of tears, many fierce hugs and quiet moments of thought as these soldiers reflect on the months ahead.
Private Jason Martin, 321st Engineer Battalion: "This is my second deployment. Families miss you, but we're doing a good mission and we believe in it."
This particular group is recognized as young but motivated.
Private Nolan Poulson and his wife Janica have only been married three weeks.
Private Nolan Poulson, 321st Engineer Battalion: "Real anxious to go, excited to get over there and start doing some good."
Janica Poulson: "The hardest part will just be the worry (crying) of him coming home safely."
The Zabriskie family will experience some change during this time apart.
Private Rim Zabriskie, 321st Engineer Battalion: "She is due in August and I'll have to meet a new person when I come home."
The battalion will be stationed in Iraq and will be responsible for clearing the streets of any roadside bombs. It's a dangerous mission, but the soldiers feel prepared, saying they go with the best training and equipment the army has to offer.
Lt. Col. Michael Hoxie, 321st Engineer Battalion: "I'm extremely proud of them, best guys to work with. Highly motivated. Best group to represent the Ogden area."
For many, the buses arrived too soon and the goodbye's were too quick. But a bittersweet balance kept everyone looking forward.
Soldier: "We're saddened to leave our families, but we're excited, we're ready to do this."
The soldiers will spend two months training in Wisconsin before they head to Iraq in October.
