The local Army Reserve's 916th Engineer Detachment, aka the Mud Dogs, is expected to leave for active duty Sunday morning and report to Fort Carson, Colo.

This is the third such command the detachment has received - it was originally scheduled to leave Nov. 20, then Dec. 4. But the members got a few more months to think about it.

"It was a lot of stress," Staff Sgt. Marvin White said. "It finally got to the point of 'if it happens, it happens.'"

The departures were delayed because of changes in missions, White said. The Mud Dogs are 10 in number, and White said they took the uncertainty of "when" well.

"There were other times we got a heads up that it could happen and it didn't, and now it finally has. The unit just went with the flow. Everybody wants to go and do their job and come home," White said.

The Mud Dogs drill for water for troops, White said. He believes his unit is "one of, if not the, best" drilling units in the country.

"The team we have is unbelievable - they all have their own little job they're best at, and we as leaders can pick that out. They're what makes us a good unit." White said.

Members of the drilling team gained most of their experience with hands-on activities. White said drilling for water is trial and error, and the group never knows what to expect.

"We went to Guatemala and drove through basalt. That was a challenge for us … Sometimes we have to go shallow and some times real deep," he said.

White said that while he has heard "horror stories" about Fort Carson, the unit isn't paying attention to them.

"We are going to get our training done and get our job done and come home. We're looking forward to the time in Colorado."

It is still a possibility, White said, that the deployment orders will be changed and the unit won't leave. Although slim, it's a chance that the men have in the backs of their minds.

White said the support of the community has been overwhelming, and the unit is fired up for the experience.

"In some cases, like me, you train for 13 years, and you finally get a mission. Some people don't understand it, but we're real excited."