Reporter Rick Steigmeyer and Photographer Kathryn Stevens had a long haul Sunday when they headed a couple of hours south to the Yakima Training Center, near Yakima.

But it was nothing compared to what faces the soldiers they went to see: Members of the Army National Guard’s 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers are getting ready to be sent to Iraq where they will provide security for convoys and new installations.

Its members include soldiers in the 161st Infantry National Guard unit based in Wenatchee. This weekend, we’ll publish Rick and Kathryn’s report, based in large part on interviews and photographs of soldiers from North Central Washington.