KTKA

Monday, Fort Riley's 1st Sustainment Brigade Commander Colonel Donnie Walker rolled the "Durables" flag and covered it with a camoflauge bag. The casing of the colors is a symbol this brigade is about to deploy.

"When you get to the other end of where you're going, to set up forward operations, you uncase those colors and get to work," Walker said.

Among the families seeing their loved ones off were some special guests. The K-State women's basketball team.

"We have a lot of female soldiers," Walker said. "I thought it would be great if we developed a partnership with the women's basketball team and it's been phenomenal."

That partnership began this summer. The women's basketball team has trained with the soldiers and in return, the soldiers have cheered on the ladies at games and taken part in some scouting reports.

"The leadership that we've learned from them as a team and I think the leadership and Army values that they've learned from us has been very inspirational for both of us," Walker said.

So it's been an emotional afternoon as the K-State crew say goodbye to their partners and friends.

"It gives me goosebumps," K-State women's basketball coach Deb Patterson said. "I'm about brought to tears to think that these young people and these leaders are going over to sacrifice really their time, their families and potentially their lives in support of something so great as our country."

The soldiers are headed to Kuwait where they will help draw down forces in Iraq. They'll be deployed for a year.