HUMBOLDT — An Iowa Army National Guard soldier from Humboldt is among the hundreds of troops from the state in the process of deploying to the Middle East.

Spc. Nick Ellis, 22, is a member of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment based in Waterloo. He works in communications for the unit, according to his father, Barry Ellis.

Barry Ellis said he and his wife, Connie Stewart-Ellis, are “concerned as any parent should be.”

But he added that they are proud of how their son has matured since he joined the military five years ago.

“It is our belief that he represents the Constitution, he represents the Bill of Rights,” Barry Ellis said. “It’s because of the soldiers that we have our freedoms.”

He said his son is in good spirits as he begins his first military deployment.

“His morale is very good,” Barry Ellis said.

The soldier is a graduate of Humboldt High School who is a student at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. His own experience in mastering a stutter inspired him to major in speech pathology.

He is “the first Ellis in the family to attend a university,” his father said.

Nick Ellis is the third generation of his family to serve in the military.

He has three brothers, two stepsisters and one stepbrother.

The battalion Nick Ellis belongs to was activated to serve in what the military calls Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes Afghanistan and the Middle East. The unit left Iowa on May 30.

Barry Ellis said his son is currently at Fort Bliss in Texas. From there, he will go to Germany and then Qatar in the Persian Gulf. He will be deployed for “400-plus days,” his father said.