 A group of soldiers from Oklahoma are gearing up for their deployment to Afghanistan by practicing on some big guns to help provide fire support there. Sergeant Christopher Bruce reports. Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are gearing up for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. Their mission is to provide fire support using high mobility artillery rocket systems or high Mars. According to the commander, Captain Sean Bryant, this would be the first time soldiers from the Oklahoma National Guard will provide fire support in combat since Operation Desert Shield Desert Storm. They have a purpose that, you know, they've been in the Guard for 16, 17, 18 years, deployed two, three times, and always done a different mission other than field artillery. And now all these years of training are paying off to get to do that field artillery mission. Soldiers belong to Alpha Battery of the 1st Battalion 158 Field Artillery, as well as some soldiers from the 171 Target Acquisition Battery and others from the 120th Forward Support Company. Alpha Battery First Sergeant Lance Grant says his soldiers are ready. They've all reacted well, you know, there's a definite excitement in the air being having the opportunity to be one of the first, really the first unit from Oklahoma since Desert Storm to be able to go over and do our mission. So it's definitely exciting, but there's always that, you know, missing families and being behind things like that. So that's always a concern. On Thursday, family members attended a farewell ceremony for more than 70 soldiers who will now attend mobilization training at Fort Bliss, Texas before heading for Afghanistan. The sacrifice that these soldiers have made is one of choice. These young men and women understand the meaning of duty, honor, country. The soldier in all of us is excited about this mission, you know, the husband and the father in all of us is, I can't believe I'm going again, but that soldier aspect of us, you know, takes over that mission, that duty and that purpose. Reporting for the Oklahoma National Guard, I'm Army Sergeant Christopher Bruce. For more news, head online to PentagonChannel.mil. You can also check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.