Dec 23, 2008 — Fort Drum's 3rd brigade begins deploying to Afghanistan next week. Almost 5,000 soldiers will spend a year protecting the area south of the capital, Kabul, and the mountainous border region with Pakistan. The 10th Mountain Division troops are the first of a surge in U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Life can be tough for any family when one adult deploys to a war zone. But what happens when both mom and dad go at the same time? Generally, the children stay with grandparents or other relatives. But some families have to get creative. David Sommerstein has the first of two profiles of families based at Fort Drum.