Four hundred New Mexico National Guard members are being deployed to Djibouti, Africa, this year. Tuesday afternoon, half of the soldiers were honored during a ceremony, the other half in Las Cruces. "The fact that I'm going on this deployment means a lot to me. I'm here to do my job, just go and come back," said Private First-Class Christopher Nunez.This mission will be Nunez's first deployment. "I'm happy for him because, like he said, this has been his dream since he was little, but I'm nervous. My prayers will be for him every day," said Nunez's mother. About 1,100 soldiers in total will deploy in this multi-state mission with Oregon, Washington and Louisiana. This marks the largest deployment of New Mexico National Guard members since a peacekeeping mission to Egypt in 2012. This year the guardsmen are heading to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti to help with security operations. "We have a national interest in that region of the world in Africa; our tasks will be based in Djibouti but spread over three different countries, six different outstations, all supporting operations directed by the African combat commander," said Lt. Col. Sergio Hands.The guardsmen have been preparing for the past year, both on the job and at home."Getting them prepared mentally and just doing what I can around the house, DIY projects, making sure they're safe, making sure everything's good at home," said Sgt. Juan Peralta.Both his wife and daughter showed their support for him at the ceremony Friday afternoon. "I know there's going to be times where he can't talk to me, but I just am so proud of him. I know he really stepped up for this," said his wife. The mission is expected to last 10 months.