Their departure ceremony is a massive show of 4,000 troops. They are the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, better known as the "Strykers". They’re named for the revolutionary new fighting vehicle that is the centerpiece of this newest version of the Army.

The rubber-tired Strykers are fast and are loaded with digital communication. The idea is the troops get to the scene quick and have a better idea of what's going on before they arrive.

They've been training for urban combat, but what they're going to face in Iraq is a peace-keeping mission that is anything but peaceful.

The United Nations is pulling out because of the danger on the streets. The U.S. Command reports an average of 33 attacks a day.

"We all raised our hand and swore to defend the constitution of the US and that's what we're about to do," said 1st Sgt. Keith Davis of the Stryker Brigade. "We understand we're going into harm's way, but that's part of life."

The soldiers are trained, but are the families ready to sit and worry for an entire year?

"I think about that everyday but I hope he will make it and come home safe," said Army wife Marion Davis.

Army wife Cheri Carney says, "Of course I'm going to be worried, I'm probably going to be watching the news a lot, but I think they're ready. I'm not excited about them leaving, but it'll be over before I know it."

The Stryker Brigade was designed to respond in a hurry to a changing battlefield. Now, they really going to be put to the test because Iraq is a battlefield unlike anything U.S. forces have ever faced.

"I do think we're ready," said 1st Lt. Jason Carney. "The type of training that we've done is somewhat been geared toward the type of fighting that we're going to be doing."

They'll start flying out to Kuwait and then Iraq the middle of next week. That's when the tears will really start to flow.