More than 900 soldiers of the Army's 1st Infantry Division are in the final phases of preparation for a year-long deployment to Iraq.

Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks and the division headquarters will hold a ceremony Friday at Fort Riley to case the division's colors and formally mark the occasion.

The division headquarters will spend the next year in southern Iraq, serving as command and control for U.S. and coalition units in the region.

The soldiers will join the division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, which began a year-long deployment in Iraq earlier this fall. Additional units are scheduled to deploy in 2010.

On the Net:

1st Infantry Division: http://www.1id.army.mil