Sgt. Montrell Allen is about to go through two life-altering experiences he has been through before, serving as a soldier in a conflict in the Mid-East and becoming a father. This time things will be a little different, however &045; they are happening at the same time.

Allen and his wife, Bessie, already have two children, Montrell Jr., 5, and Trevarious, 2.

They are expecting their third child in mid-January, a girl that they plan to name Jada, but he will be leaving with the Army National Guard 155th Infantry for Iraq not long after.

&uot;I will be at Camp Shelby when she is expecting, but I have made arrangements to be home when the baby is born,&uot; he said.

Allen served in Operation Desert Storm as a member of the 1st Calvary Division, Ft. Hood, Texas, but that was before he had a wife and children.

He knows that it will be hard to leave Bessie for what could be an 18- to 24-month deployment, with two small children and a new baby, but he knows that he can count on his fellow soldiers to support him when he is in Iraq and a strong wife to manage the home front.

&uot;My wife will be strong and that makes it better doing what I have to do. I have to hand it to her, she is a strong woman.&uot;

Bessie said that she knows she can be strong, but saying goodbye isn’t easy.

&uot;I never thought it would come to this, that they would be taking them out of Natchez. It will be hard, I want him to be here to see her teething and to see her start to walk like he was for the other two,&uot; she said.

Bessie said that she and her husband have been through rough time before, where he has been there for her.

&uot;I was in a bad car wreck in 1999, when I was hit by a drunk driver, and my husband was there to help me. I was seven months pregnant with our first child and we almost lost the baby,&uot; she said.

She said that a blood transfusion to her child, while it was in the womb, saved his life.

After the accident, Bessie said that her husband helped care for her while she was unable to care for herself and helped care for Montrell Jr., as well.

&uot;He would bathe me and wash my hair. I was not walking too well, so he would get up and take care of the baby when he cried.&uot;

She said that she plans to play the videotape of her wedding for Jada, after she is born, so that her father will be familiar to her, even in his absence.

Bessie said that she watched the tape by herself recently.

&uot;I watched it and I started to cry. I just watched the moments together and prayed that we would have more together in the future.&uot;

She said that the separation will be harder since her brother, Sgt, John Williams, who lives with the Allen’s, will also be deployed to Iraq with the 155th.

Allen feels that his brother-in-law, whom he is very close to, going to war with him, should give his wife some comfort.

&uot;I tell her that there is no reason for her to be sad for me because my brother is at my side,&uot; he said.

He hopes that his wife will record the special moments that he will miss.

&uot;I feel bad that I won’t be there for those small things. We have a camcorder so that she will be able to put those small moments on tape so I can witness them,&uot; he said.

Missing these moments does cause him pain, but he knows that he is leaving for a good cause and that some day his daughter will be proud of the sacrifice he has made.

&uot;I would rather face the enemy over there than over here. I am doing this for her; God knows we don’t need another 9-11. One day we can talk about it and she will know what her daddy is all about,&uot; he said.