Family and friends of soldiers with the 458th Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army Reserve held a sendoff ceremony Thursday before the soldiers deploy.
The ceremony was held at Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School in Sidman, Cambria County.
Lieutenant Col. Stella Carroll said the soldiers put in a lot of hard work to get to this point.
“They have been working on their technical competencies for fighter missions. Preparing for their missions. Doing a phenomenal job,” said Lt. Col. Stella Carroll.
During the ceremony, family and friends were recognized for their support and sacrifice.
Amber Ryan and her 5-year-old daughter, Hannah, came to support their husband and dad, but they’re still sad to see him go.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard to talk about. It can be tough sometimes. It definitely comes in waves. I think days like today certainly a mix of emotions. We’re definitely proud and supportive, but for sure certainly sad to see him go for a while, too,” said Amber Ryan, whose husband is deploying.
This will be the second deployment for Ryan’s husband, Staff. Sgt. Daniel Ryan. She said the hardest part will be not having him around for the little moments.
“We can’t help but think about all the things he’s going to miss. We’re probably going to lose our first teeth while daddy’s gone and all those little milestones,” Ryan said.
While some families might not be ready to say goodbye, they said it’s important to support the soldiers.
“As a country we to have to support the soldiers and do our best to be supportive for all of them,” Ryan said.
As for the soldiers, they are ready to help defend their country.
“We are combat ready and we are ready to deploy,” said Lt. Col. Stella Carroll.
The soldiers deploy on Friday for one year to the Area of Operations in Southwest Asia.
Their battalion’s motto is “Never so much, by so few.”
