Although most of the soldiers in the First Infantry Division Headquarters have deployed before, this time their training is different.

"Whatever your experience was last time in Iraq, it’s your last experience in Iraq," Big Red One Commanding General Vincent Brooks said.

Brooks and the First Infantry Division Headquarters will be deploying to Basra, Iraq in two months. They’ll be in charge of a province about the size of Washington State, but they’ll be taking a backseat to the Iraqi security forces.

"They make their own decisions," Brooks said. "Their security forces outnumber us three times. They’re three times larger than our present force strength over there."

There will be 850 soldiers, including the Army band, deploying. Many of those soldiers, like Sgt. Maj. David Santos, are learning new skills. Santos was an infantryman, but now he will manage computer systems.

"The scope of the responsibilities is much larger," he said.

Learning new technology takes Santos a little longer, but he says it’s easier to teach the younger soldiers the technology.

"He grabs it quick and a lot of the new soldiers we’re getting now from the information society, they’re quick on these systems," Santos said.

New jobs aren’t the only thing changing for these soldiers. Brooks says the mission in Iraq is more peaceful with the Army now partnering with Iraqi security forces and letting them solve problems.

"That’s not easy for Americans," Brooks said. "It’s part of our nature. We see a problem, we want to help, that’s why we’re there."

It’s been 4 years since the First Infantry Division Headquarters has deployed.

They will deploy in January and be in Iraq for 12 months.