Around 300 more members of the Virginia National Guard arrived home Sunday and Monday, just days after President Barack Obama formally declared an end to the eight-year-long war in Iraq.
The troops landed at BWI Airport.
Units from Task Force 183 were set to hold brief welcome-home events Sunday in Fredericksburg and Norfolk, and Monday in Portsmouth, where troops will be reunited with their families.
They actually arrived back on American soil on Dec. 11 and 12, but they have spent the past week undergoing administrative and reintegration training activities at Camp Atterbury, Ind. In the process, they transitioned from active duty to traditional National Guard status prior to returning to Virginia.
Task Force 183 officially began active duty on June 1 of this year, and shipped out to Iraq in August. The task force units were responsible for escorting supply convoys. According to statistics provided by the Virginia National Guard,the convoy escorts reacted to 22 attacks from small arms and IEDs with no loss of life.
Members of Operation Welcome Home Maryland were also on hand to greet returning troops at BWI.
