ARLINGTON, Va., - About 66 members of the Vermont National Guard's air ambulance unit left for duty in Iraq on Sept. 10.
Friends and family gathered at the Army Guard's Aviation Support Facility in South Burlington, Vt., to say goodbye to Company C, 3-126th Aviation.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the ceremony.
"From Burlington to Baghdad, the Vermont National Guard has made remarkable contributions - especially over the past nine years," he said. "And it's an honor to pay tribute to all you've sacrificed and helped to achieve."
The one-year deployment begins at Fort Hood in Texas, where they will train for their upcoming mission in support of Operation New Dawn.
"You're going to Iraq at a time when the president calls it a new page in the history of Iraq," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie, the adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard. "You are the vanguard force -- just like Gettysburg -- they're putting the best in front. You'll be saving lives. You'll be making a difference and you'll be making us proud."
The mission is expected to wrap up next September.
"Today, as the C/3-126 Aviation Regiment sets out for its newest mission, I'm inspired by, and grateful for, your dedication to the work at hand - to helping the Iraqi people help themselves, to strengthening the rule of law, and to creating conditions for opportunity, prosperity, and justice," Holder said. "If past is prologue here in Vermont, you are moments away from a tour of duty that will improve lives across Iraq, and benefit those of us who'll be waiting for you back at home."
Guard officials said the air ambulance company is one of the most deployed units in the Vermont National Guard, serving twice in Iraq, twice in Bosnia and once in the Dominican Republic. Over two-thirds of the members have been on multiple missions.
Holder recognized Vermont as "one of the most celebrated and active state National Guard units in the country."
"Together, you have resurrected the spirit of the Green Mountain Boys of our nation's founding," he said. "And you have helped people across this state, and far beyond our nation's borders, look - with new hope - toward the future."