More than 150 soldiers in Company A, 2/198th Combined Arms Battalion gathered on the DeSoto County Courthouse lawn over the weekend for a send off ceremony before their May 1 deployment to Iraq.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., saluted the troops for their efforts in a speech Saturday that also thanked aging veterans for defeating Nazism and fascism during World War II.

First Sgt. John Beasley of the 2/198th said the Family Readiness Support Group and community volunteers will help make the 13-month absence easier.

The company will head to Camp Shelby for final preparations for the deployment. The A 2/198th soldiers are part of Mississippi’s 3,500-member 155th Brigade Combat Team.