SALEM, OR (KPTV) -
Nearly 20 Oregon National Guard citizen soldiers received a supportive sendoff in Salem Monday.
They are preparing to leave for Afghanistan as part of the Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, which will deliver stories, photos and videos to news outlets overseas.
Gov. John Kitzhaber and other state leaders gathered at West Salem High School for the ceremony. One of the school's assistant principals, Major Jim Miller, is among those deploying for the first time.
"I've been in the guard for almost 17 years, and when you haven't gone and you've been in for that long, you feel like you need to go. So for me, that's the excitement," Miller said.
The group will spend about three weeks training on the East Coast before spending 400 days in Afghanistan.
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