Right now 170 Freeport-based soldiers are preparing to take off for battle in Afghanistan. Troops and their families felt a mix of pride and worry at an emotional farewell ceremony in Freeport.

170 soldiers stand side-by-side with the men and women who will soon become their closest allies and protectors, while friends and family from all over the Stateline and Illinois prepare to say goodbye.

Nineka Marinelli is relying on the "family readiness program" to prepare for the separation, but fear still mingles with her pride and she worries how her young kids will cope.
Nineka says, "When they look up at you, especially the oldest one and say why is daddy not home every night.."

Marinelli's husband is used to service. Here at home, he works for the Rockford Park District Police.
"Some people love to help people in the medical field and be doctors, to me this is the way I can help back my country," says Sgt. Benjamin Marinelli.

Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan is often overshadowed by the war in Iraq. But as the Taliban regains strength, focus is shifting back to Afghanistan.
U.S. troop levels there are at their highest in the seven-year war and in the summer months, American fatalities in that war have outweighed those in Iraq. Just this month a Rockford soldier died in Afghanistan.
But the soldiers inside the Freeport Masonic Temple aren't focusing on fear.

"We have good leadership and good training. So I know I'm very prepared," says Private First Class Aaron Hibbard.
But the one thing they can't prepare for is saying goodbye to their families.
"I'm gonna miss him a lot because he helps me with my homework a lot, but now mommy is gonna help me now," says PFC Hibbard's young daughter Michaela.

The 333rd U.S. Army Military Police Company takes off Sunday for North Carolina, where they'll continue their training before leaving for Afghanistan this fall. Their main mission is to train and mentor the Afghan National Police, to help them stand on their own.