To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- Families said goodbye to their soldiers Sunday as 450 New York Army National Guard troops prepare for deployment.

The 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion is mobilizing for training at Fort Bliss in Texas before departing for a nine month deployment to Afghanistan in the fall.

The 101st will provide communications support to military units using the state-of-the-art systems that provide voice and data connections to units.

Their commander says this brings closure to their months of training and sets them on a path to their final deployment.

The soldiers departed from Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh Sunday afternoon.