Some military families are caught off guard as thousands of troops get called up for Middle East deployment

More than 3,000 service members are set to be deployed to the Middle East as tensions rise following the killing of an Iranian general by the United States.

That means thousands of families were separated from their loved ones – some without notice. Many of them are from the Immediate Response Force of the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Related article Trump warns Iran if it hits any Americans or American assets 'we have targeted 52 Iranian sites'

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, was killed Friday by a US airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump.

It’s not clear what that means for the future of US military involvement in the region. But “the 82nd Airborne is America’s guard of honor,” said Lt. Col. Mike Burns, a spokesman for the division.

“We have traditionally held the responsibility of maintaining the Immediate Response Force, able to deploy anywhere in the world in 18 hours. And that’s something we take pride in doing.”

Yet even with that sense of pride, “the families may be experiencing some angst because the soldiers can’t tell them exactly where they are … naturally, that’s tough,” Burns said.

“But what we can reassure the families is the paratroopers are trained, they’re fit, and they’ve got their battle buddies to their left and right to help them through the situation.”

Here are the stories of some families dealing with sudden separation:

Reality hits as twin sister prepares for deployment

Melissa Morales, 18, said her twin sister, Cristina, was visiting back home in Victorville, California, when she was told Friday she would be deploying Wednesday.

(FILES) In this picture taken on September 14, 2013, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, is seen as people pay their condolences following the death of his mother in Tehran. For a man widely reported to be playing a key role in helping Iraq's routed military recover lost ground, Qassem Soleimani, 57, the commander of Iran's feared Quds Force, remains invisible. AFP PHOTO/ISNA/MEHDI GHASEMI (Photo by MEHDI GHASEMI / ISNA / AFP) (Photo by MEHDI GHASEMI/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Exclusive: Khamenei's adviser says Iran's response to US will be military action

“She kind of took it as a joke the night before because of the memes on Twitter,” Morales said.

The hashtag #WWIII was one of the top trends on Twitter heading into the weekend.

While the memes are funny, she said, reality hit when her sister received the deployment notification.

“She wasn’t expecting to be deployed so soon.”

Morales said her sister joined the Army last summer and has been stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. This will be her first deployment.

“As her twin sister, it kind of hurts. It stings,” Morales said on her sister’s deployment. “Yeah, I’m obviously sad, but she made me and the rest of family realize it’s what she signed up for.”

Morales tweeted photos of her sister on her personal account Friday.

“Pray for my sister and every other soldier that has deployed,” she wrote.

Morales did not want to publicize her tweet on CNN. She said she tweeted it because of the #WWIII memes to show “there’s real people risking their lives for this war.”

Deployment right before a child’s birth

At the Sunday evening service at Berean Baptist Church, Taylor Smith asked for prayers.

Mourners holding posters of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani attend a funeral ceremony for him and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020.

Related article Opinion: Trump's decision to kill Soleimani is starting to look like a reckless gamble

He’s worried about the deployment of a friend who’s expecting a baby soon.

“The 82nd is trying to push back his deployment date as much as possible, but his wife is a high-risk pregnancy,” Smith said.

“We believe he’s leaving somewhere around Tuesday, and his wife is due Wednesday.”

But Smith said the military community near Fayetteville is accustomed to taking care of one another.

“Fayetteville’s unique in that situation. Neighbors take out for neighbors,” Smith said. “And that’s one of the things we learn here: love thy neighbor.”

New military families get guidance from veterans’ families

Spouses who are more experienced with last-minute deployments are reaching out to those who need help.

Members of the Iraqi parliament are seen at the parliament in Baghdad, Iraq January 5, 2020. Iraqi parliament media office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Related article Iraq has voted to expel US troops. Whether they'll actually be kicked out is far from clear

Sabrina Johannes is an Army wife whose husband served in Afghanistan. She’s the executive director of Deployed Love, a group of volunteers at Fort Bragg that supports spouses and children left behind.

Johannes said spouses, especially those new to the deployment experience, have reached out saying they’re scared.

“In the last few days we’ve definitely been hearing from some of the family members probably not even here at Fort Bragg,” Johannes said.

“They’re parents that are needing information and looking out to us.”

Johannes said she’s hoping to set up a social event in coming weeks to connect with anyone who needs support.

A wife wasn’t able to say goodbye

This handout picture released by the US Army shows paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deploy from Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina on January 1, 2020. - Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division were activated and deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in response to recent events in Iraq.

Related article Selective Service System website crashes amid questions and fears of another US military draft

April Shumard was in San Diego with her daughter for a medical procedure when she learned her husband in North Carolina suddenly got called up, CNN affiliate WNCN-TV reported.

She didn’t have time to say goodbye in person.

“To have your partner be gone and not be able to prepare for it, it’s just really hard,” she told WNCN. “I think the worst part of that is when you don’t get to say goodbye.”

She relied on friends in Fayetteville to care for her other children because her husband had to leave immediately.

Natasha Chen and Maria Cartaya reported from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Amir Vera and Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta.