Little Leila Barritt probably won't remember this day, but her father, Sgt. Gene Sheets says the precious memories of holding his one-month old baby girl will keep him going while he's deployed for his second tour of duty with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry.

"It's what I've always dreamt of, starting a family finally, and now I'm leaving it already, so it's pretty hard,” says Sheets.

Though his girlfriend Kim will keep him updated, the pictures of his daughter sent to him while he's gone won't be worth more than the chance to hear her first words.

"I'm happy to serve my country and I can't wait to get back,” says Sheets.

And his loving support system believes he will return home fine.

"I was just thinking if you have faith in your soldier, he'll be back," says Kim Barritt.

Captain Andrew Weiler says it's the support of the entire community gathered here at this bittersweet sendoff that validates the meaning of their mission.

"It's nice to see all the support. It was great to see all the veterans coming back because they know what it's like,” says Capt. Weiler.

But, he says the standing ovation from the packed field house still doesn't shake away the pains of having to say goodbye.

"It's a sad day, you know. A lot of crying,” says Capt. Weiler. “But you know, they're the ones who stay strong and make it good for us."

These soldiers are some of the 3,200 Army National Guard personnel statewide who will be deployed in the next few weeks. This will be the largest deployment of Wisconsin soldiers since World War II.