A combination of Uncle William and Hurricane Maria led Specialist Abner Classen of Exeter down the right path.

He came to the Granite State after his homeland of Puerto Rico was destroyed by Maria in 2017. Amid the chaos, Uncle William lived here in the Granite State and invited his nephew to join him.

Searching for his destiny, Classen combined the devastation at home with the invitation to live in the States and found his way into the selfless world of the National Guard five years ago.

“After lots of damage (from Maria), I took that as maybe a time to start over and change my atmosphere,” said Classen, who’s 26. “The circumstances made the decision easier. What’s better than being with the uncle I have always looked up to?”

Stories were everywhere Friday, from family, friends, and Guard members themselves. They packed the Capitol Center for the Arts to bid farewell to the New Hampshire Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment.

The destination and departure time were not released. The Battalion is expected to stay for at least nine months.

Guard members formed a 10-person band that included horns and drums. State officials made speeches, thanking people like SPC Classen.

The Battalion’s primary weapon, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, can hit its target from 50 miles away. Classen will drive the trucks that place the rocket launchers in their proper spots.

He never saw this coming. At least not until he turned 21, after Uncle William had chosen to move to Texas, leaving Classen alone and unsure of his next step.

He wanted camaraderie. He wanted to help people suffering, like those in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The Guard came calling, if only in his head.

“It wasn’t until (Uncle William) went back to Texas that I knew I needed a support system,” Classen said. “I joined the Guard to create camaraderie. We support each other, and for me, that was the priority, and it’s what I was looking for.”

Meanwhile, Kai King of Manchester is an IT specialist in the Battalion. Like Classen, he had no idea what he wanted to pursue in life. He graduated with a college degree in business and then worked as an admissions counselor at Southern New Hampshire University.

There, he worked with students who had joined the Guard. One suggested that the Guard might give King the fulfillment he seemed to be lacking just two years ago.

“It was an adventure,” King said. “I thought this would change my life for the better. I’m very logical, and this made sense, to sacrifice for a greater reward in the future. It was an easy decision on my end.”

This will be King’s first deployment. Once he joined the Guard, he realized he was following others in his family. His uncle served in Vietnam. His great-grandfather fought in World War I. There were others.

“I’m walking in my family footsteps, and I never thought of it that way,” King said. “For me, it’s very exciting. A year away in a different environment, a military culture. I have great superiors who are supportive. I’ll learn from those who have already deployed. This will be a grind. You’re not going to have regular comfortable living, but this is what we are trained for and we’ll face it head-on.”

And then there’s Sgt. Jeffrey Splaine of Derry, a motor transport operator. He’s been in the Guard for nearly 10 years, since he was 19. He spent one year in the Arab Emirates and was on active duty in South Korea. He spoke about leaving his comfort zone for the sake of others. That was a common theme Friday.

“I was just looking for a challenge and something completely out of my wheelhouse,” Splaine said. “I learned about the equipment I had never seen or heard about before. I wanted to step up and do something a little bigger than just worrying about myself.”

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