When you say ship off with your National Guard unit, whadaya mean? Where ya goin?
I ship off 05 JAN 03 for 10 weeks of MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) and other classes with my unit (39th INF BDE (SEP)-ARNG) before they ship off to Iraq.
I don't go to Iraq until later in the year. They ship out in MAR I think.