NATCHEZ &045; Family and friends of National Guard members leaving soon for Camp Shelby hope the community will line the streets for their sendoff.

Members of the 155th Infantry will go from training at Camp Shelby to serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

But before they go, the Family Readiness Group is planning to cheer them on as they travel out of town, said Sharon Goodrich, coordinator of the readiness group.

&uot;These guys are going away from everything they know,&uot; Goodrich said. &uot;Who are they doing it for? For us. They need to know that. It doesn’t matter what politics you support.&uot;

The guard members are leaving between 8 and 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25. Everyone in the community is invited to line the road between the armory on Liberty Road and U.S. 84.

&uot;Everyone needs to bring their flags,&uot; Goodrich said. &uot;Anyone who would like to go should come out.&uot;

The readiness group will also have a party just for families and guard members a few days before the troops leave.

If anyone is interested in donating food for the party, they can call Goodrich at 446-6345.

The Family Readiness Group is holding support group meetings at 5:30 p.m. each Wednesday at the National Guard Armory on Liberty Road.

Members of the 155th across the state of Mississippi are under orders to serve up to 18 months of active duty service and are expected within the next few months.

The 155th Infantry is the seventh oldest infantry unit in the United States.

About 4,000 soldiers from 49 Mississippi communities, will join the leadership.

After 90 days of training at Camp Shelby, the guard members will either go to Fort Polk, La., or Fort Irving, Texas for three weeks in November. They will then return to Camp Shelby to prepare for deployment, probably in early 2005