Family, friends and members of the Staunton community gathered May 15 for a farewell ceremony for the Virginia National Guard's Staunton-based 116th Brigade Combat Team Headquarters at the Shelburne Middle School gymnasium to officially mark the start of federal active duty for approximately 175 Soldiers. The unit will serve as a command and control headquarters for counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan. Before deploying to Afghanistan, the unit will report to Camp Shelby, Miss. to conduct training for approximately 45 to 60 days. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia Department of Military Affairs)