There were hugs, tears, and salutes in Columbus Tuesday for the families of 100 central Ohio soldiers.
The Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was honored in a "Call to Duty" ceremony.
The Columbus-based unit is deploying to Kosovo for a peacekeeping mission.
After words of support from National Guard leaders and a prayer, the soldiers had a few final moments with their family and friends.
"It means the world to me,” PFC Terrence Hall said. “Ever since I was a little boy, this is what I wanted to do, protect the people I love so we can have this great country and do things like this."
Hall’s mother described her feelings as “nervous but proud.”
"Just the steps that he's made as a young man, you know, taking the responsibility of serving, and caring about other people,” Deborah Hall said. “That's my biggest thing with him- I'm just so proud of him and the steps that he's taken so far."
The deployment is set to last between nine and 12 months.