The Utah National Guard announced the return of all but two of the final 50 soldiers from the Rear Detachment of the 1457th Combat Engineer Battalion from the Middle East and their service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The final two soldiers volunteered to accompany the cargo ship across the Atlantic Ocean and are scheduled to arrive in one month.
The battalion was mobilized in April 2003 to clean up debris following the U.N. mission in Bagdad and also clear debris from airport tunnels. They were originally tagged to receive a 120-day extension of service in Iraq, but schedule command allowed them to return home at the initially scheduled time. They arrived to a welcome from friends and family along with U.S. Reps. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Rob Bishop, R-Utah, at the Air National Guard Base, 765 N. 2200 West, in Salt Lake City Friday night.