BREWER (AP) – Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe joined hundreds of others Tuesday night in wishing farewell to 170 members of the security force in the Maine Army National Guard who are being deployed to Iraq.

Friends, employers, spouses and other relatives of the troops gathered at Jeff’s Catering for the official send-off ceremony. The force will conduct security operations in Iraq, ranging from base and road security to convoy operations.

Rev. Bob Carlson, chaplain at Husson College who attended in honor of a friend who is among the troops, estimated 850 to 1,000 people attended the public event.

Baldacci pledged the support of the state to the troops and their families during their Iraq deployment. He also presented a Maine flag to the unit.

The unit is commanded and headquartered by B Co. 3-172nd Infantry and includes soldiers from the 1136th Transportation Company, 169th Military Police Detachment, 152nd Maintenance Company, 286th Petroleum Supply Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Battalion and 133rd Engineer Battalion.

In her address, Snowe, R-Maine, praised the troops for answering the call of duty and said the United States is not a nation of occupiers, but of liberators, said Carlson.

The troops received training at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Vermont and will leave from Fort Dix, N.J.