Sports personality Don Cherry and Ontario's Lieutenant Governor were just some of the people offering their well wishes at an emotional farewell at CFB Petawawa Friday.
By months' end, 300 soldiers from the base will head to Afghanistan on a 10-month mission in Kandahar, one of the most dangerous parts of the world.
Corporal Sean Blakeley will leave his wife Elaine and 11-month old son Odin. He said leaving his young family for 10 months will be the hardest part.
"I'm pretty scared about when I come back and he doesn't even know who I am. He's at the age where he knows who I am now but after a couple of weeks of not being around constantly, he might be a little scared when I come back," said Blakeley.
The 300 soldiers will serve at the Kandahar Base Headquarters as support for the next rotation of troops in Afghanistan. They will be joined by the base's main body of soldiers who are scheduled to depart for the mission at the end of the summer.
On Thursday, the country's top military commander gave the House of Commons foreign affairs committee a cautious assessment of the insurgency on the ground in Afghanistan.
"The mission continues in a positive direction, but that threat remains high, especially in the south of Afghanistan and especially, from our perspective in the west and north of Kandahar city itself," said Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of defence staff.
Bgen. Denis Thompson, Task Force Kandahar Commander said although it is true that it is a dangerous area, much has been done to prepare the troops.
"You can't take all the unknowns out of it and you can't simulate everything in training. We do our best ... but it's absolutely true that you can never replicate reality and until you're there, you can never be sure how you're going to react," he said.
For those who have been there before, there are hopes for a sense of accomplishment. But many say it's still it's just as tough the second time around.
"There's going to be good days and there's going to be bad days and you just try to stay busy and keep positive," said Carol Marcoux, whose husband Derek is preparing to deploy for the second time.
With a report from CTV's Catherine Lathem and files from The Canadian Press
