Soldiers Prepare to Leave for Iraq

Soldiers of the 155th Brigade Combat Team arrived at Camp Shelby from Tupelo Friday morning.

3,400 soldiers spent all day Friday checking in at the base. They will spend about a month training at Camp Shelby and then leave for Iraq in June. They will assist convoys for at least a year.

Soldiers say they have mixed reactions about their mission.

“Nervous I guess, but anxious, ready to get it over with,“ says Sgt. Richard Wiley.

“I’m excited… kind of worried. I’m just ready to go over there and get the job done and come back and be with my family and friends,“ says Staff Sgt. Michael McLaurin.

Soldiers say they are bringing many pictures of their families with them. Some even downloaded pictures onto their cell phones.  Some soldiers say a year is a long time, but they are prepared to go.

“This being my first deployment, I have a lot of guys that have had a previous deployment so knowing that I’m going with them… I can talk with them and talk to them. It makes it a lot easier,“ says Specialist Joseph Ethredge.