COLUMBUS, Ind. | At 49, Spc. Bernardo Gonzalez senses the end of his military career approaching.

That's why he's excited and proud to serve his country on an overseas mission: his first deployment after six years in the Army and four in the National Guard.

Gonzalez, of Hobart, is a member of the Indiana National Guard's 1313th Engineering Co., which is deploying to Iraq to support counterinsurgency operations.

A crowd of National Guard leaders, family and friends gathered Thursday afternoon in Columbus East High School's gym to honor the 160-soldier unit with a send-off ceremony.

"This, for me, is an opportunity of a lifetime, a sense of fulfillment," said Gonzalez, who also works as a groundskeeper at a cemetery in Schererville.

The 1313th includes about 25 soldiers from Lake County, said Staff Sgt. Les Newport, a public affairs officer. The unit learned in December that it would deploy for no longer than a year. It first heads to Fort McCoy, Wis., for additional training.

The soldiers' duties in Iraq are expected to be wide-ranging, possibly including searching for improvised explosive devices, security, building roads and constructing buildings.

Gonzalez said having the support of his wife, Pamela, and daughters, Carmelita, Briana and Pamela, helps make the departure easier.

"(My wife) supports me in it. Her dad fought in World War II in Okinawa (Japan)," Gonzalez said.

The 1313th's mission is important, Gonzalez said, because it helps create a better life for Iraqi citizens.

"We're making a buffer for them to have a chance for the life they want," he said.

Spc. Daniel Wiley, 28, of Hammond, said he hopes the 1313th will bring more peace, security and comfort to Iraq and its citizens.

"I hope we bring democracy, which is what they are looking for," said Wiley, who also works as a security contractor at the BP Whiting refinery.

This is his second deployment to Iraq. The first was January 2005 to January 2006 with the 113th Engineering Battalion from Gary.

Staff Sgt. Zoltan Szabo, 47, of Kouts, also is deploying to Iraq for the second time. He first went about three and a half years ago.

Szabo said Iraqi interpreters at that time told him about 50 percent of Iraqi citizens supported the U.S. military presence. He hopes support from the citizens has increased and Iraq's defense forces have improved.

"I hope we're at a point where Iraqi military and police forces there can assume the duties," Szabo said. "Hopefully we'll see that firsthand when we're over there."