Nearly two dozen National Guard members based in southwest Virginia will spend Thanksgiving with their families, but not Christmas.

Members of the 1033rd Engineer Support Company in Richlands will say their goodbyes following a ceremony and dinner Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Cedar Bluff.

Capt. Dayna Rowden says the soldiers will train at Camp Shelby in Mississippi before traveling overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

This weekend’s send-off ceremony marks the second time this fall that Tazewell County-based guardsmen have been deployed overseas.

Last month, 38 members of the 1033rd Engineer Support Company departed Richlands for an overseas deployment in Iraq.