PALMETTO, Fla. – The holidays are around the corner, but their service to nation never stops. Members of the Florida Army National Guard are getting ready to head out on their next mission.

“A lot of our families have been through this before,” said Maj. Michael Wetter Executive Officer with the 265th Air Defense Artillery.  

Hugs and goodbyes at deployment ceremonies are always difficult.

“It never gets easy. Every deployment has its set of challenges,” Wetter said.

But there’s a sense of duty and determination as well.

“I’m feeling great actually. This is not my first deployment. This is my fourth deployment, so I think I’m used to it. But for the family, it’s a little nerve-wrecking,” Platoon SGT SFC Edison Williams explained.

The two men are among 200 soldiers preparing to deploy. Some will go to the Washington, D.C. area, and others to Europe – as their families prepare for a possible holiday season without them.

“They basically got to handle everything on their own. That can be kind of difficult, when one of the two parents leaves the household. Everyone has their own challenges when it comes to deployments,” Wetter said.

For these families, focusing on the time they do get to spend together is critical.

“Thanksgiving was great. We had a chance to spend it together, and now we’re here to support our country and our nation. I’m looking forward to it,” Williams said.

When he’s not serving our country, SGT Williams is serving his community as a police officer in Winter Park.

"I have the full family support of my wife and kids behind me. So ecstatic about going and coming back as soon as possible,” he said.

They don’t know how long they’ll be gone, but it’s that family support that they count on to push forward.

Those heading to the Washington, D.C. area will be supporting Operation Noble Eagle, which provides assistance to federal state and local agencies related to homeland security.

Those heading to Europe will be supporting the European Deterrence Initiative alongside NATO forces.