A family farewell to Fresno based soldiers

Military families gathered at "Signature Aviation" airfield near Fresno's Airport to say goodbye to their loved ones.

The men and women of the "40th Combat Aviation Brigade Command" flew out of Fresno Wednesday morning headed to Fort Hood, Texas. They will undergo 8 weeks of training at Fort Hood before deploying to Iraq, sometime in January.

The family of the brigade's commander says goodbyes are always tough, but most military families are surrounded by support from the military and the community...while their loved one is away. "That type of support lets us know how much it means to the community that they care about the soldiers," said Cathy Medigovich.

After some emotional goodbyes, 125-members of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade flew out of Fresno on this chartered, "Airbus 320". The National Guard says the unit will serve a year in support of "Operation New Dawn" in Iraq.