Members of the 1st of the 153rd Cavalry Regiment will be part of the second-largest Florida National Guard overseas deployment since World War II.

Carol Atwell, with the National Guard Family Assistance Center, says, "They will tell you that they are going there for a reason, they are going there to defend their country and stand up for what they believe is correct."

The 1st squadron consists of five units from Pensacola, Bonifay, Chipley, Panama City and Tallahassee. They have already been training at Camp Blanding for several weeks, and are scheduled to deploy to Kuwait at the beginning of the new year.

Back home in the Panhandle, their families are trying to stay up-beat about the next twelve months. Soldier's wife Nicole Pankey says, "It's very exciting, it's overwhelming. It's right after the holidays, so we feel like we have to rush all our family time together."

The National Guard Family Assistance Center works with spouses and children to prepare them for the time apart. Atwell, whose husband was deployed, says, "You never get used to knowing that your loved one is overseas. There's always a constant worry, there's always, when you see a strange car coming down the road, is that car pulling into my driveway. There's always a fear."

Pankey and her husband, Sergeant Phillip Pankey, are expecting their first child, a baby boy, just before Phillip deploys. Though he'll be thousands of miles away, Nicole says technology will allow Phillip to be here for all of the baby's "firsts."

She says, "He's going to be 100% involved in every aspect of the year of our son growing up, whether I take pictures at his doctor's appointments, every morning."

Atwell says many husbands and wives are going through similar emotions. But, she says the most important thing is to set yourself up with a support group and know you're not alone.

If you would like to get in touch with the local Family Assistance Center, call Carol Atwell at (850) 596-2683.