Hartford - Friends and family members of 90 soldiers from two Connecticut Army National Guard units gathered Thursday for a send-off ceremony for the Guard's first deployments of 2015.

The Niantic-based 192nd Military Police Battalion is deploying 55 soldiers to Guantanamo Bay in support of detainee operations. The unit is commanded by Lt. Col. Paul Deal of Hampton.

About 35 soldiers of the Middletown-based 143rd Regional Support Group will provide logistical support for the day-to-day operations of an undisclosed military base in Afghanistan.

In a break from the standard 12 to 18 months' notice before a deployment, members of the 143rd had just six weeks to prepare themselves and their families for their mission to Afghanistan, said Major General Thaddeus J. Martin, the adjutant general and commanding officer of the Connecticut National Guard.

Martin spoke during a ceremony at the William A. O'Neill Armory in Hartford, joined by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, among others.

Col. John Wiltse of Berlin, commander of the 143rd Regional Support Group, said the short notice harkens back to his deployment to Iraq in 2004 when he said he had 90 days' notice. The unit at that time supported the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during a year-long deployment.

Martin said the unit's willingness to deploy on short notice was a testament to its dedication, preparedness and patriotism. He said the Guard also owes a "deep debt of gratitude" to the families of the soldiers.

"These missions continue our proud tradition of preparing soldiers who are trained and ready to deploy anywhere in the world, even on the shortest of notice," he said.

Courtney said National Guard and Reserve units are typically perceived as a supplementary force in support of the large commitment of troops overseas. But that perception has changed, he said. There are just 13,000 troops in Afghanistan and a fraction of that number at Guantanamo Bay.

"We have a U.S. Army that has 490,000 active duty troops and yet when the folks who look at the billets and make the decision about who gets called, the fact of the matter is that it was these units from Connecticut ... picked for these missions. These are important missions. The eyes of the world are on you."

Tyler Sams, a 23-year-old from West Simsbury and member of the 192nd, will be in Guantanamo Bay for the first deployment of his two years in the Guard. Sams was honored with a promotion to the rank of first lieutenant during Thursday's ceremony. He received handshakes and a traditional punch to the chest from fellow soldiers and even a punch from Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, he said.

"I'm excited," Sams said about his deployment. "I'm confident in the team I'm going down with."

During his address to the two units, Martin said, "I know I speak for all of you when I say Connecticut prays for your safe return."

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay