Virginia National Guard troops gather for deployment send-off

SANDSTON, Va (WRIC) — Around 140 soldiers from the Virginia National Guard’s Second Battalion gathered in Sandston for a deployment send-off.

The troops are being mobilized for an aviation task force in Kosovo.

“It’s not so much for the soldiers but for the family as well,” said Lieutenant Colonel Craig Lewis, the Battalion Commander. “Because it is a sacrifice on the family’s behalf just as much as the soldiers.”