More than 100 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers are leaving this Sunday for a one year tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Many of the soldiers and their families are from the Rhinelander and Tomahawk area.

We caught up with one of our local soldiers leaving Sunday, Specialist Douglas Alderton a single father born and raised in Rhinelander, who is now going halfway across the world to serve his country.

He says the biggest reason he joined was to create a safer environment for his 6-year old daughter Alexis to live in.

He says he's proud to be going to Afghanistan and although he couldn't tell me exactly what his platoon will be doing while they're there, their mission will be to stabilize areas and help build schools and hospitals.

A year is a long time for anyone to be away from home, but Specialist Alderton says there's one thing he'll miss the most while he's away, "Missing a year of my daughter growing up for a year for sure is the hardest thing and then the adjustment with the mindset to leave," he says.

His daughter Alexis will be with her mom and his sister, so she will be very well taken care of the year he is away.