A ceremony to honor and send off Iowa National Guard troops who have been called to active duty is being planned in Waterloo.

The troops, members of the 211th Air Ambulance unit, will be honored at the Air Aviation Support Facility, a helicopter installation at 2245 W. Big Rock Road, north of the Waterloo Regional Airport.

The ceremony will be July 19 at 2 p.m.

The number of troops who will be sent and their destination was not released Monday.

Iowa's Bravest, a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the troops, said on its website this will be the third deployment for some of the soldiers.

The site said the ceremony is open to the public, with the hope that hundreds of people will attend to show their support.

Anyone interested in helping hand out flags and other patriotic items at the event should email Julie Ehlers at juliea58@mchsi.com.