EAST GRANBY -- The Connecticut Air National Guard held a deployment ceremony to bid farewell to the men and women who will travel to the Middle East for several support missions.
Hundreds of friends and family were in attendance along with several state leaders who offered gratitude to the servicemen.
"I’m so honored to be standing in this room," says Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman. "There’s a lot of things that I get to do but standing with so many, so many heroes. And they are heroes to me."
Several servicemen and women say the hardest part is leaving family behind.
“It’s never easy but they understand what it means to serve our country. And in a way, they served our country just as much as I do by allowing me the chance to go do this overseas," says Major Neal Byrne.
Last November the National Guard deployed 100 Airmen to the Middle East.