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SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of Utah soldiers will return home from Iraq by the end of the year, but many families in our state are still saying goodbyes: Their soldiers are now going to Afghanistan.

Despite the planned U.S. pullout from Iraq, Afghanistan remains an active battlefield. Twenty-nine Utah soldiers will soon be deployed to the country, and that means a year away from family and friends

"They are so sad to see me go," Army Pfc. Jeremiah Deschine said at his platoon's mobilization ceremony Monday.

Army Spc. Curtis Wilson, also a member of the 478th Human Resource Company, will be leaving his infant son behind. "He was just born three months ago; just pretty much the focus of my life," Wilson said.

For families, ceremony was certainly bittersweet: the look of pride, the embrace, the nervous chatter.

"We do this as a chance to bring the families in and say our official goodbyes to the unit as they go overseas," explained Army Col. Phillip Jolly, commander of the 96th Sustainment Brigade.

Comment:

Most of these soldiers are going to Afghanistan; two are headed to Kuwait. For some, their mission will include postal operations, for others it's chaplain duty.

For Wilson, the ceremony is a reminder of why he is a soldier. "(My son) is my main reason. When he grows up, (America) will be just as great of a place as it is right now," he said.

The soldiers involved in Monday's mobilization ceremony will all deploy before the end of the year.

Email: lprichard@ksl.com