As we head into the Fourth of July weekend, there is news of a major deployment of soldiers from Fort Bliss.

More than 400 soldiers from the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss deployed to Iraq on Sunday. The troops will be joining National Guard members and reservists who will also deploy to Iraq. The troops will be replacing the 1st Infantry Division headquarters from Fort Riley, Kansas. The soldiers will be training Iraqi security forces to help battle ISIS. They are part of Operation Inherent Resolve, and will be deployed up to a year.

For one soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Abelardo Villareal, this latest deployment is his seventh. He told NewsChannel 9 that all that time away takes a toll on his family, but his wife helps make sure that their kids know how much he loves and misses them during his time away.

Villareal, a Dallas Cowboys fan, says when he is deployed his family wears their Cowboys jerseys and watches games as a way to be close to him. He says he tries to find a TV so he can watch the games as well..

We wish Chief Warrant Officer Villareal and all the troops a safe deployment. We are praying for their safe return and praying for their families so that they also get through this time away.

We can never repay our troops. We owe them everything.

More From 93.1 KISS FM