Get your American flags ready and join the family, friends and neighbors of our local troops who will be leaving Natchez for training at Camp Shelby Wednesday morning.

Supporters hope residents will line the road from the National Guard Armory to U.S. 84 to say goodbye to members of the 155th Infantry, who will be going to Iraq after their training.

These men are making a great sacrifice to be away from their families and their homes, fighting in &045; and rebuilding &045; Iraq.

They deserve our support.

Politicians and pundits can debate what the war means and whether we should be there, but no one knows the situation better than the men and women who are waging daily battles against insurgents even as they try to help rebuild roads and bridges, hospitals and schools, and as they try to help support the emerging democracy in Saddam Hussein’s former domain.

Our prayers go with these brave men and with their colleagues from across the state and the nation. They will need our support and our prayers as they prepare for their trip to Iraq and later as they face great danger overseas.

And our thoughts will also be with their families, who will need our support as they go it alone in the coming weeks and months.

We encourage all of Natchez to come out Wednesday morning between 8 and 9 a.m. to wish these men a safe journey.