On a cold, dark morning on Fort Hood, about the time when most soldiers conduct physical training, soldiers and families of the 87th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, crowded near a white tent, in preparation for the bus ride that would take the soldiers to Gray Army Airfield before departing for Iraq.
On Monday, the group of 104 soldiers were heading to Logistics Support Area Anaconda, on Balad Air Base, one of the largest military bases in Iraq. They will be deployed for 15 months.
The soldiers' primary mission is to conduct routine clearance operations, for which they have trained extensively at Fort Hood and at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Their job will be to "find improvised explosive devices and neutralize them," said 1st Lt. Benjamin Washkowiak, the executive officer of the 87th Engineer Company, who feels confident in the training the soldiers have received.
While at the National Training Center, the 87th Engineer Company trained directly with the 5th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., the unit to which they will be assigned while in Iraq.
The company will deploy separately from the 8th Engineer Battalion headquarters.
"Under the modular concept (the unit) is designed to be self-sufficient," said Lt. Col. Donnie Walker, commander of the 8th Engineer Battalion. The company can essentially integrate with any other unit, Walker said.
Walker has trained his soldiers since he took command about 10 months ago. Watching his companies deploy piecemeal and attach to another unit makes him feel a little bit uncomfortable. "They know me, and I know them," Walker said. "But soldiers are adaptable and they will do well either way."
The battalion headquarters is also scheduled to deploy, but will be assigned to the engineer staff section of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq, which is in Baghdad. Walker will not have direct control of his units once they are deployed.
"I'm proud of them and confident in their abilities," Walker said.
In a speech, which he gave to the company at 5:30 a.m. Monday, he asked the soldiers to take care of one another and thanked their loved ones for their sacrifice.
"In a time of monumental sacrifice, families bear the struggle," Walker said.
This is not the first deployment for many of the soldiers. Nor will it be the last.
Amanda Valdes, wife of Spc. Bryan Valdes, has to answer the question from their son, Andrew, about when daddy is coming home. Amanda said that when Bryan deployed the first time, Andrew was only a few months old.
Now Andrew is older and Amanda has to answer the tough questions.
Olga, Sgt. Timothy Sampson's wife, said her husband has been deployed three times now, and twice since they've been together. Tears streaked down her make-up as she clutched her husband one more time before he left Monday.
"I'm sad," Olga said, "But you get used to it, and it's always scary."
The Family Readiness Group run by Victoria Zokatis, wife of 1st Sgt. Joseph Zokatis, has plans to keep in contact with all the spouses near and far and to support all of the soldiers with packages and personalized T-shirts.
"I'm very proud of all of them. They are all my babies and I want them all to come home," Victoria said. This is her husband's second deployment to Iraq, but fifth deployment overall.