HATTIESBURG &045; Mississippi officials wished members of the National Guard &uot;God speed&uot; Wednesday during an officials sendoff at Camp Shelby.

Members of the Army National Guard 155th Infantry stood in formation with other members of the 155th Brigade Combat Team (Mississippi Rifles) beneath an overcast sky on Camp Shelby’s parade field.

On metal bleachers beside the parade field, family members and friends watched the inspection of the troops and as Gov. Haley Barbour presented each division with a flag that had been flown of the Mississippi State Capital.

The ceremony was the official send off for the Mississippi Rifles, the brigade of the Natchez unit. The 155th is home for Christmas but will go to Iraq on Jan. 2.

The brigade is formed from Army and Air National Guardsmen from Mississippi, Arkansas and Vermont, as well as active duty soldiers from Ft. Irwin, Calif.

Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, adjutant general of Mississippi, assured the troops and family members that 100 percent of the vehicles that the 155th would be using would be fully up-armored.

&uot;The 155th will be the best equipped and best trained soldiers to be yet deployed to Iraq. They will also be the best supported because their support will be from the people of Mississippi,&uot; said Cross.

Cross said members of the 155th came from 47 different locations in the state, but it held the heart of all of Mississippi.

&uot;Dixie Thunder, are you ready to fight?&uot; he asked the troops, sparking a resounding cadence from the troops and cheers from the crowd.

Gov. Haley Barbour thanked the troops for their sacrifice and service.

&uot;I am proud, indeed, I am humbled to be your commander and chief. Know that as you serve freedom in the War on Terror, you are recognized as patriots and heroes,&uot; he said.

&uot;Mississippians across the state will pray for you. God speed and we look forward to welcoming you home again.&uot;

Assistant Secretary of the Army Reginald Brown told the brigade they were &uot;making history and are part of history&uot; as he acknowledged the unsung heroes of the home front.

&uot;The families will have the true sacrifice without your company. They are heroes, too,&uot; he said.

First Army Commander Lt. Gen. Russell L. Honore said he was proud of the brigade and told the crowd that he would be happy to release them after the ceremony, called a Pass and Review.

&uot;I am going to give them back to you for 10 days.

&uot;The airplanes are ready, the guns are ready, the ammunition is dry and they are ready to fight,&uot; he said.

Brigade Combat Team Commander Col. August L. Collins concluded remarks by talking about the kind of soldiers that have always made up his brigade and asking for prayers.

&uot;I have never seen the 155th look better. This Mississippi Rifles were originally made up of blacksmiths, doctors, and farmers. There may not be any blacksmiths left in it, but we still have doctors, farmers … lawyers Š teachers. These are the people who make up this brigade. Pray for us and we will remain safe and keep this country safe.&uot;

From the bleachers, family members of the Natchez unit squinted while scanning the formation to pick out their loved ones.

Christy Bullock, wife of Sgt. Brain Bullock, said she been trying to explain to her two children, Blake, 6, and Alexis, 2, the reasons they would be separated from their father for a while.

&uot;Even my 2-year-old is aware,&uot; she said. &uot;My 6-year-old asks ‘Is he going to fight?’ and I tell him, ‘Yes.’ He will miss the rest of my boy’s first year of school. It’s not easy.&uot;

&uot;They will be OK; they better be. It’s his job; he has been doing this for 21 years. I don’t know if any of us is all right with it, though,&uot; said Amanda Floyd, wife of Sgt. Sam Floyd.

Sgt. Nick Blanton’s wife, Lacy, said reading news about the war affected her emotions.

&uot;He’s OK with it. It depends on what newspaper I pick up as to how I feel,&uot; she said.

&uot;I am proud of him, but it is still hard to watch him go,&uot; Blanton’s father, Nick, said.

Blanton’s mother, Betty, said her son going off to war was always something she considered a possibility.

&uot;All he ever wanted to do since he was a kid was be a soldier, so I knew this would happen someday. I was expecting it. I am very proud of him,&uot; she said.

Collins said, after the ceremony, he was confident in the Mississippi National Guard 155th Infantry’s ability to perform well as a member of his brigade.

&uot;I have no doubt that the Natchez unit will do everything in their power to come back and make their hometown proud,&uot; he said.

Cross also voiced strong support for the Natchez unit.

&uot;They absolutely measure up. It is an outstanding unit with a long and great history in Mississippi.&uot;

Family members and troops were invited to a post-ceremony luncheon after the Pass and Review. Some decided they would rather skip the luncheon and return home to take advantage of the leave granted to the troops until Jan. 2.

&uot;I am ready for it to be over with so I can just get him home. We are going to enjoy Christmas,&uot; Lacy said.