FORT DRUM — For the families of the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, the next few days will be the hardest.

That's when those left behind must come to grips with the fact their loved ones have left to spend the next 15 months providing support in detecting and disarming explosive devices.

The battalion, whose units do one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army, will provide support for the 10th Mountain Division in Iraq.

The soldiers of the 63rd and their families are well aware explosive ordnance disposal units, referred to as EOD, are on the front lines of the battle between the Army's ability to locate explosive devices and the insurgents' ability to conceal them.

With that in mind, Monday afternoon meant particularly emotional goodbyes for some 50 members of the battalion, who range from soldiers on their first deployment to those on their fourth.

Waiting to leave on his fourth trip to Iraq,Command Sgt. Maj. Larry D. Cushing stood under the flowering trees on Fort Drum and talked about improvements to the robots used by EOD units.

On his worst day in the field, which took place several years ago, the command sergeant major's company defused 40 of the deadly improvised explosive devices in Baghdad. During that six-month deployment, his teams took care of 3,800 IEDs in Iraq.

The use of increasingly sophisticated and mobile robots to detect and disarm devices has made the EOD job both easier and safer, Command Sgt. Maj. Cushing said. From peacetime units that were too big and heavy to move easily, the Army's robots have become lightweight machines able to successfully disarm IEDs, he said.

"If they're detected, identified and located prior to detonation, we have a 100 percent success rate in defusing them," he said. "Robots have saved lives, there's no doubt about it."

Command Sgt. Maj. Cushing has never lost a soldier under his command, but the welfare of his people was heavy on his mind as he waited to leave for southern Iraq.

"My biggest worry is if something happens, I can't get to them fast enough," he said. "That's my biggest fear."

In a building dedicated to a last inventory of personal gear, Marissa E. Ballinger was trying to come to grips with saying goodbye to her husband of six months, Capt. Carl E. Ballinger.

"This is a whole different scope of military life that I didn't expect so early," she said. "The first couple of days are always the hardest."

Capt. Ballinger, an EOD liaison officer, said the couple would use the Internet and Web cameras to communicate during the absence.

"We'll utilize technology to the best of our ability to simulate being together, even when we're not," he said.

1st Lt. Erin N. Herald, who will stay at Fort Drum as part of the 63rd's rear detachment, said she has occasionally met soldiers who "aren't completely honest with their significant other about what they do, just not to worry them."

"It's a dangerous job," she said, "But at the end of the day, you know that you risked your life to save a lot of others."

In a nearby barracks, Sgt. Michael A. Suggs said the deployment was bittersweet; on one hand, soldiers had to leave their families behind, but on the other hand, the soldiers of the 63rd would have an opportunity to put their training to the test.

Sgt. Suggs, who was leaving on his second deployment, said training would serve the battalion well in its efforts to detect and defuse IEDs.

"Before we didn't know what to look for," he said. "Now we know what to look for, but they're also becoming more advanced."

Sgt. Suggs said had named his M-4 carbine assault rifle for his girlfriend, Shawnese. He headed off for one last phone call to tell her he loved her.

Standing nearby, Pfc. Alexander O. White was cradling an M-4 carbine he had named Katrina because, he said, "she's a disaster."

Pfc. White said he worried most about "IEDs and stuff happening in the city when we do convoy."

"For the next 15 months, this is my girlfriend," he said, patting his gun.

Outside, Maj. Christopher T. Drew was loading his bags onto a bus in front of three red-eyed family members.

Maj. Drew, who had packed an iPod full of family pictures, said he knew the 63rd was heading off to do an important job and would "make a difference over there."

Still, the departure was not easy for any of the Drew family.

"He's my best friend. I miss that daily," his wife, Rochelle B. Drew, said, her voice cracking. Her children, 13-year-old Ian R. and 11-year-old Amara K., clasped her in a bear hug.

By the time Maj. Drew returned from the bus, his eyes also were brimming with tears. Amara turned and grabbed him tightly.

"Good-bye, princess," he said and stroked her hair.