SMYRNA (AP) — Dozens of Tennessee National Guard members have returned home after a 10-month Middle East deployment.
More than 190 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 181st Field Artillery Regiment returned Thursday. Another 140 soldiers are scheduled to be back on Saturday, ending the unit's yearlong mission.
Family and friends were on hand to greet the soldiers when they arrived at Smyrna's Volunteer Training Site.
The Chattanooga-headquartered unit deployed to six different countries in the Middle East after leaving Tennessee early last March, the guard said.
The soldiers have spent the last two weeks at Fort Bliss, Texas, finishing up their processing after the deployment.