CLEVELAND — The military life already was in Matt Harkins' bloodstream.

His father was a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army. But it was the death of his brother, Sgt. Jason Harkins, in 2007 in Iraq that "finalized" the 21-year-old Harkins' decision to go the same route.

"I wanted to give back to my country and the sacrifices that other people have made," he said, sitting in the living room of his girlfriend's home.

Just as some military personnel and their units, such as Gainesville's 802nd Ordnance Company and Georgia Army National Guard's Charlie Company, have returned safely home, others - such as Harkins - are gearing up for deployment overseas.

For some, it's a repeat trip, such as to the Middle East. Many military personnel now have toured both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Harkins, who is a 2008 White County High School graduate and Navy hospital corpsman, is preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

He'll be heading out later this summer as part of the 2nd Medical Battalion, Charlie Surgical Company, out of Camp LeJeune, N.C.

"The biggest thing is the fear of the unknown," Harkins said, regarding his future mission. "You hear stories and you see pictures - everybody has their own experience.

"My biggest concern now is making sure I know my stuff ... because lives depend on it."

As a hospital corpsman, he will work to medically treat Marines injured in action.

"We learn to provide care under fire, basically," Harkins said.

Bonnie Marshall, a Forsyth County mother, is going through deployment with her 24-year-old son, Taylor, for the second time.

He is stationed in Fort Wainwright, home of the Army's 25th Infantry Division. Taylor, who spent one year in Iraq, returning home in September 2009, serves as a corporal in a mortar division.

"I am very proud of him and very proud of his choices," Bonnie said.

Taylor was scheduled to return home Saturday from the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in Mojave Desert, California. His leave ends March 18 and he is set to deploy in mid-April to Afghanistan.

"His aunts, uncles and cousins are flying in from around the country" to help give him a proper send-off.

During her son's last deployment, she was able to get regular updates from him. Bonnie recalls the sighs of relief when she would learn he was doing OK.

She doesn't know yet if that open communication will be the case this time around. And knowing Taylor is serving in one of the world's "hot spots" doesn't help the stress.

"It's tough," she said. "On one hand, I'm so proud of him and on the other hand, he's my only child. We've talked about if anything happened to him and he said, ‘I would be with Dad.' "

Taylor's late father also was an Army veteran, serving in the Vietnam War era.

"I tell you what - he is a proud soldier and he is going to do what it takes for his country," Bonnie said.

Taylor, speaking in an interview from Fort Irwin, said he is "not as nervous (about deployment) as I was the first time."

"There are some butterflies but not nearly as much," he said.

Donna Eldredge's son, Philip, grew up in the Gainesville area. He dropped out of North Forsyth County High School and joined the Army, fulfilling high school requirements through a GED program.

The 19-year-old is in Fort Hood, Texas, and is headed for Afghanistan, possibly toward the end of June.

"He should get to come home for 14 days before they go," Eldredge said.

The deployment's effect on the family is rough.

"I support the troops, but I wish we wouldn't be there. It's very scary," Eldredge said. "You never know what's going to happen. ... He keeps saying he's going to be in a safe area, but is there really a safe area over there?"

Brian Oliver, who lives in Reunion subdivision in South Hall, knows what the families are going through. His son, T.J., is serving in the Marines in Afghanistan.

He advises families to "talk to other people who have family members in the military," make sure to write often and send care packages, and pray for them.

"When they're younger, they weigh on your lap, and as they get older, they weigh on your heart," Oliver said.