Fort Carson Families In Transition

It was an emotional day on the mountain post as the lives of hundreds of families began transitioning to to a life without a loved one for the next nine months.

A deployment ceremony was held at the Special Event Center on post as more than 300 3rd Brigade Combat Team soldiers deploy to Afghanistan. In a last-minute deployment, the troops are headed to the southern region of the country in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sylvia Schoellhorn, 3, explained just how long her daddy would be gone. ?Spring, summer and autumn,? said Schoellhorn as she clung to her father?s leg.

?And he?s going to come back for winter,? Schoellhorn said, jumping up and down at the prospect of his return.

Pfc. Amber Blanco is also looking forward to the end of 2012, when she can reunite with her husband Danny, who is part of the combat team. The couple met when they both joined the Army two years ago.

?I just have to, you know, just be strong,? said Blanco, as she stood next to her husband. ?I?ve got to be strong for him. So, just got to power through it.?

Rachel Swan, another newlywed in the crowd, explained that learning of the last-minute deployment is what led her to expedite the exchanging of vows with her husband.

?We were planning to get married later this summer,? said Swan. ?And then the deployment came up so we just moved the wedding up.?

The couple wed in February.

the 3rd Brigade Combat Team will focus on training and mentoring Afghan security forces.