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Soldiers of Kennesaw's 277th Maintenance Company rolled away from their armory, Feb. 15, 2003, to begin the first leg of what may be a year-long deployment in support Operation Enduring Freedom. Wave after wave of military vehicles of every description traveled past flag waving friends, families and fellow Guardsmen on their way to Interstate 75 and the road to Fort Benning in Columbus. After two weeks of additional training the 277th will depart the U.S. for an undisclosed location overseas.

"You are a great company of soldiers who represent a great organization, a great state and a great nation," Brig. Gen. Terry Nesbitt, commander Georgia Army National Guard, told the unit's members during a farewell ceremony at McCollum Airport. "Your willingness to put your personal lives, set aside your jobs and leave your families to fight for freedom says much about who you are and it honors us all.

Sam Olens, chairman Cobb County Commission, thanked the soldiers of the 277th for their "defense of our values and our honor in these troubling times," and praised the Guardsmen for their service to the community in which they're based and to the country in which they live.

Kennesaw mayor Leonard Church, asked the unit to fulfill its mission and return safely to its home. The city looked forward to the day, he said, on which it would proudly welcome the company back into the community.

When it came time for Capt. Bobby Brookshire, the unit commander, and his soldiers to return to Kennesaw armory and continue packing for the trip to Fort Benning, Brookshire asked that when he called the unit to attention the unit's members should sing out their "fixin' to fight" motto so that "even the people overseas can hear you." Their voices were so loud that they could be heard over aircraft departing the airport's runway.

While the deployment ceremony for the 277th was an emotional event, the short and equally moving service held earlier during the unit's first formation was the highlight of the day. It occurred when Lt. Col. John Owens, the state chaplain, married the 277th's commander Capt. Bobby Brookshire and his fiancé Capt. Dawn Sharp, who works with the Georgia Army National Guard

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