JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Right before the holidays, 175 Army Reserve soldiers are preparing to say goodbye to their families.
“It is a huge sacrifice but it's something that we're very proud of,” Kelly Lonis said.
She and her three kids came all the way from Syracuse to see their soldier off.
175 Army Reserve soldiers are saying goodbye to their families today at NAS Jax. They’re deploying to the Middle East for 9 months @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/LIrUyKhlQa
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) November 16, 2019
“Thinking about saying goodbye, that’s the hard part. The really hard part,” she said.
The 175 Army Reserve soldiers are headed to U.S. Military Hospital Kuwait for 9 months.
They are medics, surgeons, nurses – you name it. Their mission: take care of our military members abroad.
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“For us, this is the end game. This is why we joined the reserves -- to deploy and take care of each other,” Lt. Colonel Melissa Mitravich said.
The soldiers will miss the holidays with their families, but they said technology makes the time apart a little easier.
“We’ll be able to FaceTime, which we couldn’t do in 2002,” Lonis said.
I see a lot of kiddos in the crowd. Nine months is a long time to be away from your family and friends. Today is about honoring that sacrifice and sending them off with love @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/W5YAeG9DWs
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) November 16, 2019
It's deployment number three for Staff Sergeant Chris Lance and his family. They live in Yulee.
“I’m proud to say he is deployed again, fighting for our country, doing something better,” June Lance said.
They head to Kuwait the first week of December. Until then, 8-year-old Christian Lance said he’s getting in all the hugs he can.
“I want him to know that I love him very much,” he said.
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