Emersyn Brunsvold held up a sign she made for her dad Ryan Brunsvold, who is one of 70 Minnesota National Guard members leaving for a nine-month deployment to the Middle East. A deployment ceremony was held at the Red Baron Arena on Wednesday evening.

MARSHALL — The bleachers at the Red Baron Arena were filled with people Wednesday evening, but the occasion was a solemn one. Many of the people in the stands were saying goodbye to loved ones deploying to the Middle East with the Minnesota National Guard, and others were showing their support for the group of 70 soldiers.

“This community has always been one that came out to support us, so it means a lot. It’s huge,” 1st Sgt. Ryan Brunsvold said of the crowd’s response. Brunsvold, a Marshall resident, is among the National Guard troops being deployed.

A deployment ceremony for members of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 151 Field Artillery Regiment was held at the Red Baron Arena and Expo. Alpha Battery will support Operation Inherent Resolve, providing artillery fire in support of military units on the ground in the Middle East.

Speakers at Wednesday’s ceremony included National Guard leaders, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

“Thank you for serving and fulfilling the motto of the National Guard: ‘Always ready, always there,'” Klobuchar told soldiers. “That motto is more than words. It’s a promise to our state, to our country, and to each other. You’re part of a long and proud tradition of service.”

“You are being deployed not knowing exactly where you will serve, which is the nature of your courage and bravery. But your ability to adapt and answer the call, wherever and whatever it may be, is what sets you apart,” Klobuchar said.

Guard members also watched a video message from U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach. In the video, Fischbach called on Guard members to remember their mission. “The spread of ISIS is still a very real threat to freedom and democracies around the world. Defending those freedoms is one of the most important and honorable missions you can take on,” Fischbach said.

Members of Alpha Battery will first report to Fort Johnson, Louisiana, for a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation, followed by about four weeks of pre-mobilization training, National Guard spokespeople said.

The National Guard soldiers being deployed this week come from 65 communities spread across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

“This unit got put together as a conglomeration out of the whole unit,” Brunsvold said of the Alpha Battery soldiers being deployed. Many of the soldiers hadn’t worked together before last fall. But there was still a feeling of brotherhood among the members of Alpha Battery, he said.

The crowd at the Red Baron Arena started filling up the stands more than an hour before the departure ceremony. Families wanted to make sure they got a chance to be there for their loved ones before deployment.

The size of the crowd Wednesday made an impression on Lorraine Sandbulte.

“You see how many people are being affected,” she said. Sandbulte, a Steen resident, said she and members of her family were in Marshall to support her son, Staff Sgt. John Sandbulte, of Sioux Falls.

John’s wife Savannah Sandbulte said that, while saying goodbye to John would be hard, she was also glad to get to see the members of Alpha Battery at the ceremony.

“It’s nice to see all the faces of the people he’s going to be with,” she said.

Minneapolis resident Scott Nichols said he was feeling a mix of emotions as his son, Spc. William Nichols, got ready for deployment. But William’s family were focusing on supporting him.

“We’re all just trying to stay strong and be excited for him,” Scott Nichols said.

Deployment isn’t an easy time for soldiers and families. Brunsvold said his being gone would be harder on his two older children, because they remembered his first deployment in 2009.

“It’s tough. There’s been a lot of talks,” he said.

One positive thing is that communication technology has changed a lot since the last time Marshall area soldiers were deployed, Brunsvold said. It will be easier for families and soldiers to keep in touch.

While Wednesday’s ceremony was a time that brought up emotions for the soldiers being deployed, it wasn’t the final goodbye for Alpha Battery.

“Tomorrow’s the actual goodbye. The feeling is going to be different,” Brunsvold said Wednesday.

Today at 5 p.m., Alpha Battery will leave Marshall on buses, escorted by area law enforcement and fire departments, and the Patriot Guard Riders. The public is encouraged to line the streets along the route, as the buses travel from the Red Baron Arena down East College Drive, and south on U.S. Highway 59 (East Main Street).

Brunsvold urged area residents not to forget the military families going through deployment. Organizations like the Yellow Ribbon Network and Family Readiness Groups help support military service members and their families, he said.