NEW ALBANY —  The National Guard 387th Unit based at the New Albany Armory is in Texas preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.

They left Jan. 5 for training in Fort Bliss, Texas, where they are combining with the 381st Unit from Plymouth to become “Task Force Guardian” — the first deployment of Indiana military police units to Afghanistan.

While no date has been set for deployment, they expect to leave in mid-March and stay for about a year. The task force led by 1st Lt. Eric Holtzleiter will be assigned a security mission in the Parwan province and will mentor the Afghan National Police.

This will be the third deployment for Staff Sgt. James McMahan, 31, and Master Sgt. Wayne Kannapel, 39, both from Georgetown. They served in Afghanistan in 2004-05 and in Iraq in 2008-09.

McMahan’s life is much different now than when he returned home from Iraq. His daughter, 2, was born just three days after he arrived.

“I’m leaving behind a wife and daughter,” McMahan said by phone from Texas. “That’s the hardest part about being away.”

They expect to have Internet access on their base in Afghanistan, and McMahan hopes new video chat technology, such as FaceTime and Skype, will make it easier.

He said he signed up for the military and plans to stay until he retires. He said he will deploy whenever he gets the order.

Kannapel said this tour was optional for him, but that he was offered a promotion. He will also be leaving behind a wife of 13 years and two children, ages 12 and 14. He said people do not realize the sacrifice family members make.

“It’s really hard on the families,” Kannapel said. “My wife has to wear two hats — one as the dad and one as the mom.”

Kannapel and McMahan work together at Discount Labels in New Albany and have been there through their three deployments. Kannapel has been with the company since 1996 and said they have been supportive.

Sgt. 1st Class Steve Cunningham, 36, will also be returning to Afghanistan after serving in 2004-05. He is a Clarksville Police Department officer and has served in the National Guard for nearly 18 years.

“It’s what I’ve always done. I don’t think there’s anything else I’d like to do,” Cunningham said. “I’d rather do it than someone else have to.”

Cunningham, who has a 7-year-old son, said the hardest part is the initial goodbyes. He feels a sense of duty to the soldiers under his command. Cunningham had a close call during his last stint in Afghanistan. He was in the passenger seat of a truck when an improvised explosive device went off in front of them. He had a concussion and some damage to his left ear.

“It’s in the back of my head,” he said. “Now I’m in charge of 42 kids. I think it’s my job to train them up and take them back this time.”

He believes his career in law enforcement makes him a better soldier and vice versa. The tactics and training from one translates to the other, he said.

McMahan said their first time in Afghanistan was a better experience than he expected.

“I don’t know how it’s changed, but the people were very accepting of us being there,” he said. “I was able to do a lot of stuff on our own to help in different villages and communities.”

He said it felt like a mission trip. People from his church would send boxes that he would pass out to the children and families.

It has been nearly nine years since the war began in Iraq, and Kannapel said people have turned their attention to other matters.

“It seems like the support’s died down a bit,” Kannapel said. “People are still really supporting us, but it’s old news and people want the latest and greatest.”

Kannapel said things are winding down in Afghanistan, and he hopes it will be a relatively peaceful mission.

“We’re doing what we can for the Afghan people to support and secure just for the next few years, then turn everything over to them and get out,” Cunningham said.