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FORT CARSON, COLO. -- Nearly 3,000 Fort Carson soldiers are preparing for a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan in order to train and develop Afghan security forces.

Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, held a color-casing ceremony at the Mountain Post Thursday signifying the unit's readiness for deployment.

"We are ready to go," COL James Mingus said. "We will take [these flags] with us into combat and bring them home with us in nine months."

Family and friends attended the casing ceremony to show their support for their loved ones.

"It is nice to have official recognition of all the things the unit has been doing to get ready," Sarah Hermida, who's husband will deploy with the 4th BCT, said. "I know my husband and all the soldiers have been working really hard to get ready."

Sarah's husband, 1st Lt. John Hermida, said the unit has been preparing for their deployment for awhile and is confident they are ready.

"We've been getting our families ready, getting ourselves personally ready," he said. "Even things as simple as having our dental care taken care of. The brigade also did a month long training event in Fort Polk where we simulated being in Afghanistan and getting ready for that. We've identified our areas that are deficient and have improved upon them."

Yet the "getting ready" process has been difficult for families.

"Prior deployments we hadn't had our daughter yet," John, who has a infant daughter, said. "For me, it's just been trying to strengthen the bonds between my wife and I, trying to share each other's fears and hopes about everything."

Sarah said it will be difficult to have her husband gone for so long, adding her daughter will notice he will not be around.

"We'll learn to cope," she said.

The soldiers will depart over the next several weeks.

The 4th BCT returned from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan in June 2010. They assisted the Afghan Army and police forces with security and peace keeping operations.

Recently the Pentagon offered new details on its plan for shifting from a combat mission in the country to a mission more focused on training and advising.