WAHIAWA — For as long as there have been armies, soldiers have kissed family and friends goodbye and headed off to war.

Some 2,400 troops attached to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade held a formal deployment ceremony yesterday morning at Wheeler Army Airfield in preparation for the unit's return to Iraq.

The soldiers will leave in several waves toward the end of this month for the yearlong deployment.

The 25th Aviation Brigade is battle tested and battle ready, its leaders said. About 70 percent of its soldiers have deployed previously to Iraq. The brigade's nearly 100 helicopters have already been shipped out and are en route to Iraq.

They are a mix of UH-60 Black Hawks, OH-58 Kiowa Warriors and CH-47 Chinooks. The brigade will fly out of 11 different airfields in northern Iraq.

Col. Mike Lundy, brigade commander, said the first thing that will hit the first-timers is the oppressive desert heat in Kuwait where the brigade will hone its skills for a couple of weeks before crossing the border into Iraq.

"They'll be stepping off the plane into the 115- to 120-degree heat," said Lundy, who is making his fourth combat tour to Iraq. He also served one tour in Afghanistan. "They'll probably be shocked, too, at how desolate the Northern Kuwaiti Desert is."

Lundy says he has no particular nagging concerns as he leads his soldiers back into harm's way.

"Given the amount of training they have undergone, I'm very confident in our soldiers and their ability to perform very complex operations," Lundy said.

And while the majority of them have combat zone experience, he has worked to remind even the more experienced soldiers under his command that things in Iraq have changed.

"We are transitioning security responsibilities to the Iraqis and the U.S. troops have moved out of the cities," Lundy said.

The draw down of American troops means his soldiers will have to cover a lot more area, Lundy said.

The 25th Combat Aviation Brigade will be there during local and national elections, will be located in areas with large Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish populations and will be operating in Iraq along its borders with Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Among the soldiers deploying with the brigade is Sgt. David Henderson, who will be making his third tour to Iraq.

"Each deployment seems a little easier — the accommodations have gotten better, the food has gotten better and you know what to expect," he said.

Henderson works at getting soldiers to re-enlist and said the task is actually easier in a combat zone.

"They get a tax-free bonus for re-enlisting for between two to six years," Henderson said.

Kathy Roland, wife of Black Hawk pilot Joseph Roland, was at the ceremony with the couple's three children in tow: Joe Jr., 13, Nicky, 11, and Sean, 8.

This will be her husband's third tour of Iraq.

"It gets a little bit easier each time," Roland said. "I guess the worst part of it is the separation."

As with past tours, Roland plans to keep in touch with her husband, who has more than 20 years in the Army, via cell phone and e-mail while he's away.