FERRIDAY — Like a typical newlywed couple, Billy Joseph “BJ” Egloff and his wife, Laura Beth, have planned a romantic Thursday night at a local bed and breakfast, but they might not have much of an appetite come Friday morning.

Laura Beth, with dozens of other spouses, will say goodbye to her hero Friday.

Soldiers of Detachment 1, 1086th Transportation Company of the Louisiana National Guard will be deployed to Afghanistan Friday. They were honored with a deployment reception in Ferriday Tuesday.

Concordia Parish community and church leaders stood to say thank you to the approximately 30 soldiers in attendance, and to pray blessings of protection over them.

BJ said he is feeling so many things — happiness and depression.

“I don’t want to leave my wife and kid,” BJ said. “But that’s what I have to do. I will take it one day at a time and come back alive.”

Laura Beth, holding the couple’s 4-year-old son, Zaide Paine, tried to smile as tears streaked down her cheeks.

BJ said since he married his wife on Aug. 1, he feels shortchanged that he is leaving her so soon.

“It feels like we’re getting kind of robbed,” BJ said. “We’ll miss our first wedding anniversary.”

BJ will be working convoy security, crossing the country, basically making deliveries, he said.

“Am I scared?” BJ asked. “Yes, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”

BJ said he will miss the conveniences of home, like grabbing a cold Coke at 3 a.m. or leaning over to kiss his new wife.

The soldier said he and Laura Beth shift between moments of strength to tears.

“It’s the most indescribable, devastating feeling ever,” Laura Beth said. “For 30 minutes you are so strong, so supportive — and the next minute you’re a disaster. But you don’t want them to know that. You have to be as strong as you can be while hiding the pain inside.”

Laura Beth said she and BJ have known for a year that he would be deployed in September, but it’s still not quite real yet.

“You think you’re ready,” Laura Beth said. “And in the last week, you think, there’s not enough time!”

Laura Beth said she is looking forward to the last date with her husband before she can only love on him through social media and letters. BJ will be deployed for no more than 400 days.

Laura Beth said she has already reached out to other military wives, basically starting her own support group at home.

“It helps more than anything,” Laura Beth said. “We all know exactly what each other are going through.”

Luckily, Laura Beth is handy with a computer, so she has been frantically teaching BJ how to use the latest social networking technology like Skype and Gmail chat.

“I am sending a MacBook (laptop computer) with him so we can stay in touch,” Laura Beth said.

Laura Beth said Zaide is trying to figure the whole thing out.

“We call it ‘BJ’s work,’” Laura Beth said. “Zaide knows when (BJ) puts on his uniform, that he is going to work. He says, ‘Mommy, when BJ leaves I’m going to cry.”

BJ’s late mother served in the military. His aunt, Becky Sanderson, and grandfather Frank Webb, who were both present at the reception, are former military personnel themselves.

Sanderson said she served in the U.S. Army in peacetime years ago, before the beginning of the Gulf War. She said she is proud and scared for her nephew.

“It’s kind of overwhelming,” Sanderson said. “The military gives you such a sense of pride, but I never dreamt that I would see this.”

Sanderson said the best advice she can give her nephew is to hold a hand that is not toting a gun — God’s.

“I am making sure he has his Bible,” Sanderson said.

BJ said the biggest reason he joined the National Guard is to honor his grandfather Webb.

“I want to make him proud,” BJ said. “He’s a great man.”

Sgt. Albert Blow and his wife, Ssg. Savanna Blow, met and fell in love on their last deployment in Iraq in 2003.

“Some people do it in Paris,” Albert said. “We did it in Iraq.”

The couple has been married for eight years, and are preparing for their first overseas tour as a married couple.

The Blows have three children, ages 9, 7 and 4, who will stay with Albert’s mother for the year in Bossier City.

“The older ones are used to us being away,” Savanna said. “But it will be sad being away from the baby. We will miss a lot of things, like her first day of school.”

Albert said the pair will stay in married quarters in Afghanistan.

“It’s a benefit to go with your spouse,” Albert said. “She is my friend in life.”

Like the Egloffs, Savanna said she and Albert will Skype with their kids, call and exchange lots of letters.

“We can even play games with them online,” Albert said.

When asked if they were scared of going into a war zone, Savanna said she felt brave until she looks at the news.

A family friend of the Blows, Anna Laura Tillage, brought her grandchildren to the reception in support of the couple.

“It makes me want to cry,” Tillage said. “We will miss them so much. It’s like my daughter and son are leaving.”

The Blows said upon their return, the family will be embarking on the happiest tour on earth — a Disney cruise.

Savanna said her advice to military families is to stay in touch as much as possible.

“It takes a lot of work on both sides,” Savanna said. “Communication is the key.”