FORT BRAGG, N.C. - If all goes as planned, about a year from now you'll be reading about welcome-home parades and how the Illinois National Guard's largest deployment since World War II was successful in training Afghan army and police to take greater control of their own country. | By the numbers

But a lot can happen between now and then.

Almost 3,000 soldiers make up the Guard's Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which is deploying for the 10-month mission. About 300 are already in Afghanistan - three have died in combat - and the rest have about 11 days of final training left at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The soldiers are living in a simulated forward operating base at Fort Bragg to get them ready for Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Brian Hempstead of Bloomington and his wife, Spc. Elizabeth Hempstead, are also getting used to missing amenities - good coffee and frequent Internet and laundry access - though soldiers are expecting slightly better conditions once they arrive "in theater."

"Where we plan on going is better than that, but hey, best to get used to what's bad first," said Brian Hempstead. They married in July and are waiting on whether they'll get married housing in Afghanistan.

The Illinois soldiers will have plenty of company in Afghanistan.

The Bush administration and President-elect Barack Obama have both talked of significant increases in U.S. troop levels in 2009. There are about 31,000 U.S. troops on the ground now. And as the security situation in Iraq has stabilized, more than 150 American soldiers died in Afghanistan in 2008, the most since the 2001 invasion.

There are now about 68,000 Afghan army soldiers who take the lead in joint operations just over 60 percent of the time. The U.S. and Afghan governments agreed in September to grow that number to 134,000 by 2014.

"Let's face it: The more we are able to get the Afghan … security forces to take over their own requirements, that means we're one step closer to coming out of theater and turning it over to a legitimate government," said Maj. Gen. J. Michael Bednarek, commander of First Army Division East, the brigade's trainers at Fort Bragg.

As the months pass in Afghanistan, the Hempsteads will be careful not to let the anticipation of returning home distract them.

"If you're not paying attention to the days, one day blends into the next and you're like, 'Uh, is it Monday or Friday?'" said Elizabeth Hempstead, who will do paralegal work for a headquarters unit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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By the numbers

Here's a closer look at the Illinois National Guard's deployment of almost 3,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, the largest call-up since World War II:

13,500: Citizen soldiers in the Illinois Army and Air National Guard.

152: American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan in 2008, according to an AP count, more than any other year since the 2001 invasion.

57: Days of final training at Fort Bragg, N.C., for each Illinois Guard unit before deploying to Afghanistan by early December.

30: Approximate number of Illinois Guard units deploying to Afghanistan, including units from Bloomington and Pontiac.

10: Months the Illinois soldiers are scheduled to be in Afghanistan.

3: Soldiers from the Illinois Guard's Infantry Brigade Combat Team who have died in Afghanistan in recent months; about 300 already are there.

SOURCES: Illinois National Guard, The Associated Press

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