East Africa is a long way from Central New York, but for soldiers from the 403rd Civil Affairs Unit out of Mattydale, Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti is their new home away from home.

The 403rd's commander, Major Scott Kim, says the Army Reserve Unit's soldiers are almost all from Central New York.

"The majority of our soldiers come from the local area if not from Syracuse proper than from nearby places like Liverpool, Cazenvoia and Utica," said Major Kim.

Specialist Kristen Hughes, from Eastwood, and Sergeant Mark Mcauliffe, from Liverpool, both volunteered for this deployment. Back home Hughes is a student at Onondaga Community College; this is her first deployment and she misses her family, especially her dog Gilligan.

SGT. Mcauliffe meanwhile has experience from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he says Africa is different.

"We don't have the freedom of movement the same as Afghanistan where we could just go where we wanted when we wanted here there's a lot more bureaucracy," said SGT. Mcauliffe.

Soldiers with the 403rd are teachers and lawyers among many other occupations. Part of their mission here is to use their civilian skills to help the Djiboutian people. Every one of the 403rd soldiers volunteered to come here. For them deploying to a strange land halfway around the world and helping the local people live better lives is the reason they joined the army.

Soldiers with the 403rd wont be coming home to Central New York anytime soon, they still have ten months to serve in their deployment.