It will be a year before a group of Fort Carson soldiers will be home with a mission accomplished. About 220 soldiers with the 43rd Sustainment Brigade are on their way to Afghanistan.

The last minute rush before a deployment is filled with organized hustle and bustle. The 200-plus soldiers of Ft. Carson's 43rd Sustainment Brigade had their gear packed and rifles prepared to depart late Tuesday afternoon.

"We knew it was coming, and we're so proud of him," said Tam Thompson, the mother of SPC Kenneth Thompson.

Thompson's family, from Castle Rock, could be at Fort Carson to see him off. A handful of families mingled with the soldiers Tuesday during a deployment ceremony at the Mountain Post. "It's awesome. I'm thankful for that," says SPC Kenneth Thompson.

They shared warm embraces and wiped away tears in the fleeting, but priceless moments, before their last goodbye.

The trip to Afghanistan will be Thompson's first deployment among others who've been to battle before.

"We've been waiting and ready to go, so, it's time!" said Sergeant Nicholas Hoad. Hoad went to Iraq when his daughters were too young to remember. Erin, 9, and Gracie, 6, now understand the meaning of a long separation.

"It's nice to get in all the family time you can," said Hoad's wife Holly. "You never know what's going to happen next."

The first step is the hardest.

"I'm so proud of what the 43rd Sustainment brigade has done, getting ready for this. The Army has asked a lot of this unit, and I will tell you you're ready to go," Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette, addressing the troops before they boarded buses waiting in a nearby parking lot.

With their good-byes said, the soldiers have a year in the fight ahead. Their reward: a safe return to those who already miss them.

The 43rd Sustainment Brigade will be in Afghanistan supplying forces with essentials for the fight. They are leaving to serve at an important time as commanders are ramping-up efforts to continue a surge against enemy fighters.

Thousands more southern Colorado soldiers will deploy to both Iraq and Afghanistan later this summer.