CARSON CITY – After 18 months of preparation, the Nevada Army Guard’s Bravo Company, 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion is set to leave the Silver State and take the first leg of its deployment journey to Afghanistan.

The unit’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters and flight crews are set to fly from their home at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Reno to Fort Hood, Texas, today at 11 a.m.

Once in Texas, the unit’s approximately 60 Nevada Soldiers will begin their final weeks of pre-deployment training before their 10-month deployment in Afghanistan begins later this spring. Some Soldiers will take commercial flights to Texas.

The departure promises to provide the rare opportunity to see all six Nevada Army Guard Chinook helicopters simultaneously in flight at the same location. The flight crews’ family and friends are also invited to see the departure.

This is the same Nevada Guard unit previously known as Company D, 113th Aviation Company, which incurred five casualties on its 2005 deployment in Afghanistan. This deployment marks the first return to combat for the unit.Chinook helicopters can accommodate a wide variety of loads including up to 33 troops or 24 litters for medical patients. The aircraft can carry up to 26,000 pounds externally.