By CASEY RESSLER

Valley Life editor

Afghanistan is an unlikely choice for a honeymoon, but for SSgt. Ken Denny, that's exactly where he's spending at least the first year of his new marriage.

Denny, a member of the Alaska Army National Guard's 117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, deploys to Hawaii for a short training period today, and then is headed to Afghanistan for a scheduled 18-month deployment. That's rough work for a man who just got married in October, and who has three kids from a previous marriage.

"For us, it wasn't too bad because we had known it was going to happen since March or April, and it gave us time to put our personal lives in order before it happened," Denny said. "It gave us time to mentally prepare for it."

Denny said it also helps that his new bride has a military background, and understands the "military life."

Denny is one of 10 Army National Guardsmembers who will be deployed with the 177th. Once he is in Afghanistan, he will be taking part in Operation Enduring Freedom by collecting stories and photographs, writing stories for the soldiers and doing media escorts.

"Pretty much, we'll be recording history over there," Denny explained. "It's the same thing I do here, but obviously, it's across the world."

Denny has been a member of the Alaska National Guard for 14 years, following a two-year stint as an active duty member of the U.S. Army. He's been working with public affairs for the last two and a half years, but his background is extremely varied.

"I've been an infantryman, a boat driver, spent a couple years at Kulis doing security. In the Army I was an MP," Denny explained. "I've done a little bit of everything."

That versatility is important, Denny said. All Guardsmembers bring a varied background to their service, because unlike their active duty military counterparts, Guardsmembers have extended time in the public sector.

"In the National Guard, you have people with vocations and experiences outside of the traditional military experience," Denny said. "I think that brings a lot more to the Guard."

You also have people who are a lot more established in their private lives, and that can make deployments all the harder.

"We all have mixed emotions about going, definitely," Denny said. "Most of us have extended families here, we have homes here. A lot of Guardmembers have jobs they are leaving - jobs that probably pay more money than they'll be making over there.

"Those are hard things to walk away from," Denny said. "But it's part of the commitment."

Denny has had deployments all around the world during his military career. He's been through Central America, to Mongolia and has been deployed to places around the Lower 48.

Afghanistan, however, is a first for him.

Before Afghanistan, however, is a training session planned for Hawaii. Denny and nine other members of the 177th are scheduled to leave for Hawaii tonight, where they will train for 45 days. Following that, they will leave for Afghanistan - the deployment is scheduled for 18 months.

"It certainly is hard, but I'm ready," Denny said.