'We're going to war, bro': Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne deploys to the Middle East

U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division prepare to board an aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, North Carolina January 5, 2020. U.S. Army/Spc. Hubert Delany III/Handout via REUTERS.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Reuters) - For many of the soldiers, it would be their first mission. They packed up ammunition and rifles, placed last-minute calls to loved ones, then turned in their cellphones. Some gave blood.

The 600 mostly young soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were headed for the Middle East, part of a group of some 3,500 U.S. paratroopers ordered to the region. Kuwait is the first stop for many. Their final destinations are classified.