Company E of the 1/252nd Combined Arms Battalion of the North Carolina National Guard held a deployment ceremony Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Lockhart Taylor Center.

There are about 110 soldiers in the company and 83 will deploy to Iraq, Sgt. Ryan Burris said.

The troops filed in, surrounded by their friends and families.

Several local leaders were present, including Wadesboro Mayor Bill Thacker and North Carolina state senator William Purcell.

This will be the second deployment in six years for the company.

In 2004, the company also deployed.

Letters from Governor-elect Bev Perdue and Senator Richard Burr were read to the troops.

"Thank you very much for what you are doing," Purcell said, adding he would ensure the troops would be welcomed back properly.

"The citizens of Wadesboro, North Carolina and the United States are depending on you," Thacker said.

Major General William Ingram Jr., the Adjutant General of the N.C. National Guard, said every soldier in the N.C. National Guard had deployed at least once since 2001.

Spc. Clifton Pryce, 20, of Rockingham, has been in the service for two and a half years.

He said he was notified in April and has been spending time with his family to prepare for his deployment.

His parents, Kary Pryce and Larry Pryce, came to the ceremony.

"We try not to think about it," Larry said, adding he had to call his mother while he was away.

"We pray a lot," Kary said.

Spc. Chris Harrington, 29, of Lilesville, has been in the service for 10 years. He works for the Anson County Water Department as an equipment operator.

He has already been to Iraq for over a year.

While he was there, he cleared "UXO's" or unexploded ordinances.

"Depend on your buddies and you'll come out alright," he said.

The company should return sometime near March of 2010, according to Major Matt Handley, the state public affairs officer.