Seven of the military's most elite helicopters took off from the Triangle Wednesday, starting a deployment that will take them to Iraq for a full year.

The AH64D Apache Longbows are part of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion 130th Aviation Regiment, which is based next to RDU International Airport in Morrisville.

Each helicopter has two North Carolina Army National Guard soldiers on board.

The regiment will spend three months training in Texas before heading overseas, where it will be flying combat missions in support of coalition and Iraqi security forces.

"In mid-summer, we'll be validated as an Apache Longbow Battalion, and we'll deploy to Iraq under the 28th Cav., which is a Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit," said Lt. Col. Jeff Copeland. "We'll be in Iraq for a year."

The departure is bittersweet for families.

"I'm very sad, but it's really hard to be sad because I'm so proud of him," said Fuquay-Varina resident Marisa Benton, who came out Wednesday to say goodbye to her husband, CW2 Joshua Benton. "It's so exciting."

"I know the families hate to see us leave," added Copeland. "But the soldiers are excited to go off and do what they're trained to do their whole career."

Even though the regiment is made up of National Guard soldiers, many of them have spent more than the traditional once-a-month training as they've prepared for the deployment.

"It's been a real ramp-up over the last year and a half getting prepared for this," said Copeland. "It certainly wasn't a short notice."

Wednesday's launch was the first of three waves of deployments which will finish up in the next couple weeks.

"I'm not worried. I'm just more sad that he's gone. I'm not worried," said Benton. "I know he'll do well."

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