PIQUA — Piqua High School hosted a “call to duty” ceremony on Saturday to honor members of the Ohio National Guard’s 1487th Transportation Company prior to the troop’s upcoming scheduled deployment.

The 1487th was previously headquartered in Eaton.

According to Family Readiness Group leader Tammi Miller, the 1487th Transportation Company will deploy to an undisclosed location oversees, assisting in the movement and delivery of supplies where needed.

Miller said Saturday’s ceremony serves as a time for the unit’s soldiers to gather with friends and family and to say their goodbyes before being deployed.

Miller said exact destinations, time frames, and deployment dates and locations are not released to the public for the safety of the troops, but added that this deployment will last for at least six months.

The Family Readiness Group is an officially command-sponsored organization of family members, volunteers, and soldiers belonging to a unit, who together provide an avenue of mutual support and assistance, along with a network of communications among family members, the chain of command, and community resources.

“Basically, the military takes care of the soldiers, and the FRG takes care of the families,” Miller said.

While soldiers are out on deployment, Miller said, members of their families are able to contact the unit’s FRG representatives in the event that they need assistance with an issue, whether big or small.

“I have a network of people above me who work with community partners, and I can call them and say, for example, I have a soldier’s wife in the Springfield area whose washer is not working; what can we do to help them? A lot of the time, any services provided are free or at a reduced price,” Miller said.

The last deployment of the 1487th Transportation Company was in 2012 when the unit was stationed in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.