Poplarville is again preparing to send National Guardsmen off to deployment with a city-wide event that will wish them luck.

The deployment includes 135 members of Poplarville’s Bravo Company of the 155th Combined Arms Battalion of the Mississippi National Guard. They are being called to Fort Bliss, Texas on March. 27, in preparation for eventual deployment to the Central Command Theater based in Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield, says Bravo Company Commander Rodney L Hall Jr.

He said their mission will be to deter aggression and react to possible threats in the Middle East.

According to a release from the Mississippi National Guard, approximately 4,200 enlisted members of the Mississippi National Guard 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team across the state will be mobilized to support the operation.

Hall said this would be the unit’s third deployment to the Middle East since 9/11.

At 7:30 a.m., on March 27, family members will have time to spend with loved ones before they depart the armory on Mississippi Highway 26 West, Hall said. He said two motorcycle organizations will escort the unit to Jackson, Miss. before they head for Texas.

Community members are expected to line both sides of Miss. 26 that morning to wish them well.

Family members of those being deployed will be holding flags in support of the unit. The event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to participate, Hall said.

“I’m excited, we’ve trained extensively and I feel we are ready and capable and are looking forward to being a part of this operation,” Hall said.