Photo by Sam Yu Cpl. John Meacham of Tampa, Fla., stands in line with stuffed dog, Henry, on his shoulder at McGuire Air Force Base early Sunday. Henry was found in New York City and has brought Meacham luck on two previous deployments to Iraq. Meacham is a member of Frederick-based Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment of the Maryland Army National Guard.

They will spend the next nine months in Iraq.

About 120 members of the Frederick -based Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment flew out of McGuire Air Force Base, adjacent to Fort Dix, N.J. The company has been training to deploy at Fort Dix since late May.

Spc. Rick Domec of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, joined the Hawaii National Guard in November 2005 and volunteered to deploy with the Frederick company. He polished off a hot dog, carrots and Diet Pepsi in an area at McGuire where late-night snacks were provided to the soldiers before they took off at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

Domec, 30, said a sergeant friend had advised him to be scared but not afraid.

"In order to be scared you have fear, and fear keeps you sharp and on your toes," he said. "Being afraid is a coward emotion."

Domec packed a photo of his wife, Leah, who joined the Hawaii National Guard in May 2006. When he returns from Iraq the couple plans to deploy to Afghanistan together.

"It'll be a year of hard work, but you can say I went over there, I did my part and if my country calls I'll do it again," Domec said. "It'll be a new experience and I don't know what to expect, but you have to take each day as it comes and make the best out of it."

Also deploying from McGuire early Sunday was the 1-175th's headquarters company, based in Dundalk. The 1-175th's Bravo, Charlie and Delta companies, based in White Oak, Towson and Elkton, left earlier this month.

The soldiers will spend several weeks in Kuwait, finishing preparations to put their boots on the ground in Iraq. This interim period will help them acclimate to the heat of the Middle East where temperatures topped 120 degrees last week.

The Maryland National Guard is deploying about 1,300 soldiers in the Pikesville-based 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which includes the 1-175th, in the guard's largest deployment since World War II.

The 58th's headquarters company deployed to Iraq in mid-June to begin the combat team's security and base defense mission.

Soldiers in the Annapolis-based 1st Squadron, 158th Cavalry Regiment and a National Guard unit from California are finishing their training at Fort Dix and are expected to join the rest of the 58th combat team in the next few weeks.

Alpha Company's commander, Capt. Robert McAllister, said his soldiers' motivation and focus have persisted throughout the company's 72 days of training.

"Morale is very good," he said. "We're ready to go, and we're excited about the challenge that lies ahead of us."

'We'll be home before you know it'

For some soldiers, making it through the first leg of their trip and their months in Iraq meant sweets — Milky Way bars and Skittles; for many, it was entertainment — laptops, DVDs and iPods.

Others brought good luck trinkets from home. Sgt. Wayne Simpson of Hagerstown packed a tiny treasure chest that holds the first tooth his 7-year-old son, Peyton, lost.

Cpl. John Meacham of Tampa, Fla., is beginning his third deployment at 24. Saturday night Meacham toted on his shoulder a tiny, brown stuffed dog. He credits the pooch, named Henry, with helping him survive tours one and two.

Preparing to begin his first deployment at 24, Pfc. Kane McCarter of Fairplay said he was relying on wisdom from his grandfather, a World War II Navy veteran.

"You have your boots, you have your weapon and you have your faith," McCarter said. "That's all you'll ever need to walk into combat."

As the Alpha Company soldiers waited on hard plastic chairs to board their plane early Sunday, some talked, some read, others squeezed in time for last-minute goodbyes.

The 18-hour flight was a chance to rest — and sleep — after an exhausting day that had already exceeded 20 hours. The company spent Saturday finalizing equipment and gear inspections, security briefings and paperwork.

Spc. Mike Rippeon of Middletown , sitting in McGuire's terminal within hours of Alpha's departure, called a longtime friend and veteran.

The friend, nicknamed "Gomer," joined the active-duty Army and called Rippeon from Germany in fall 2003 to tell him he was on his way to Iraq. In February 2004 Gomer survived a debilitating homemade bomb attack that shattered his right arm and elbow.

Rippeon, 34, credits Gomer with inspiring him to re-enlist in the Maryland National Guard in September 2005, more than a decade after the two friends served together in the Marine Corps.

During their phone conversation Sunday morning, mirroring the one they'd had four years earlier, Gomer wished Rippeon luck.

"A year will go by and we'll be home before you know it," Rippeon said. "Hopefully, and God willing."