Ft. Eustis soldiers deploy to Kuwait

FORT EUSTIS, Va. - Nineteen members of the 86th Engineer Dive Team left Fort Eustis Monday afternoon for a 12-month deployment to Kuwait Naval base.

Their departure ceremony was held at 1 p.m. at Anderson Field House. The event, although brief, was full of emotion.

"It's a little rough to be leaving your family, it's never easy, but I think everybody is understanding and you have a lot of support," one soldier told WAVY.com

During the deployment, the soldiers will provide engineer diving support to the Central Command area of responsibility. Other duties will include harbor clearance, force protection dives, dam inspections and repairs, ships husbandry and hydrographic engineer reconnaisance.

"We've been training a long time and we're definitely well-prepared for this," the soldier said.

While it was one of the smaller deployments, the support from family and friends was as strong as any other sendoff. "We're close and being a team, and having your buddy to the left or to the right always helps," the commanding officer said.