SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — An entire brigade of soldiers — 3,900 to 4,000 men and women — got the official word from the Pentagon yesterday that they will deploy to Iraq later this year, possibly for as long as 15 months.

The announcement represents an increased commitment of Hawai'i-based troops to the war in Iraq and the first deployment for Schofield Barracks' new Stryker brigade.

The notification to the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division was part of an announcement that more than 35,000 soldiers Armywide will deploy to Iraq beginning this fall.

The exact date hasn't been set yet, but Schofield soldiers yesterday said they will ship out to the National Training Center at California's Fort Irwin in July or August, then possibly deploy to Iraq in December.

The community will feel an impact from the deployment, said Walter Benavitz, president of the Wahiawa Community & Business Association.

"That's a significant amount of people that will not be here," Benavitz said. "Our hearts go with them. The businesses will miss them, of course. More than that, we understand that our country needs them, and we support them without any reservations."

About half of the brigade's soldiers have already served at least one tour in Iraq, said Lt. Col. David Davidson, the brigade's incoming deputy commander.

Davidson already has been to Iraq twice, dating back to Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The soldiers of the 2nd Brigade were told Friday about the Pentagon's upcoming announcement, and word spread quickly through the Army's Family Readiness Groups, said Sgt. Maj. William Hain of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, the "Wolfhounds."

But soldiers and their families have known for months that the 2nd Brigade would be shipping out sometime.

"It's a relief, actually," Hain said. "It wasn't a matter of if — but when. Knowing when you're going and when you're coming back is hugely important to people who are trying to make plans with their lives."

At home, Hain has been talking to his two daughters — ages 13 and 8 — about his job and about the war.

Hain's youngest daughter, Tyler, offered her dad a simple piece of advice.

"She said, 'Make sure you don't get shot over there,' " Hain said. "They understand some of it. They don't understand other things."

Schofield Barracks has two infantry brigades of between 3,500 and 4,000 soldiers, and the upcoming deployment for the 2nd Brigade — which converted to a Stryker unit — is the second to Iraq since 2004.

The 3rd Brigade at Schofield deployed to Afghanistan in 2004, and along with the 25th Infantry Division headquarters and aviation brigade — a total of more than 7,000 soldiers — left for a year of duty in northern Iraq last July and August. That deployment has since been extended to 15 months.

DEPARTURE UNCLEAR

The latest Iraq deployments could overlap briefly, but the departure for the Stryker brigade remains unclear. Also unclear is where the brigade, one of seven Stryker units in the Army, will be sent in Iraq. The Hawai'i unit is continuing to train to reach initial operating capability.

The Stryker vehicles provide greater protection than a Humvee but are not invincible. The 19-ton vehicles can stop a 14.5 mm heavy machine gun round. With an additional 5,000 pounds of birdcage-like "slat" armor, Strykers also can withstand attacks from rocket-propelled grenades.

An improvised bomb strike in Diyala province on Sunday, however, killed six soldiers from Fort Lewis, Wash. It was the deadliest attack on a Stryker since the vehicles entered service 3 1/2 years ago, the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune reported.

Despite the fact that many of the Schofield soldiers are veterans of Iraq, the political and tactical landscape is certain to be different than anything they have seen before, said Capt. Matt Work, commander of Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry.

Work also has shipped out to Iraq twice but said, "The game has changed so much, even for those of us who have been deployed before. ... It's the Wild West over there."

The soldiers of the 2nd Brigade have been training for a wide range of contingencies — from changing battlefield tactics to how to react to different cultural situations.

Some are pleased to be riding with the Army's new eight-wheeled Strykers.

"I'm pretty excited about it," said Capt. Glen Helberg, commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry. He'll deploy with his wife, Capt. Shannon Helberg, commander of the 185th Military Intelligence Company.

Staff Sgt. Patrick Santos of Guam called the Stryker "definitely a good piece of equipment."

IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING

With more and better armor, powerful optics and a topside weapons system, Sgt. Maj. Hain said, the Stryker "allows us to own a much bigger piece of the fight."

But no piece of equipment can replace good training, Hain said.

"I am so confident in all of the leaders," he said. "They have done a tremendous job training these companies."

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said yesterday that the deployment orders do not mean that the military has made a decision to keep the increased level of 20 brigades in Iraq through December.

Instead, he said the decision gives the Pentagon the "capability" to carry the buildup to the end of the year. The replacement forces, Whitman said, would give commanders in Iraq the flexibility they need to complete the mission there.

The announcement, Whitman said, has "nothing to do" with a decision to extend the troop buildup. He said the Pentagon "has been very clear that a decision about the duration of the surge will depend on conditions on the ground."

Early this year, President Bush ordered close to 30,000 additional troops to Iraq to quell the spiking violence particularly in and around Baghdad.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his military leaders have said that commanders in Iraq will make recommendations in September on whether the buildup has been successful, and whether it should continue or if troops can begin coming home.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com and William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.