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34 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2004 Local soldiers to return from Iraq By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune More than 50 local Oregon Army National Guard soldiers will arrive home from Iraq this week as early Christmas presents for family and friends in southwestern Oregon. An estimated 53 soldiers in the 1st Battalion of the 186th Infantry headquartered in Ashland are expected to arrive at the Medford airport beginning Thursday, said Capt. Mike Braibish, a spokesman for the Guard in Salem. "We don’t have their exact arrival times — they are coming home on separate flights," he said. The citizen soldiers are spending five days at Fort Hood, Texas, for debriefing before returning to Oregon, officials said. An official demobilization ceremony for the returning soldiers is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Medford Armory. The public is invited. Advertisement The soldiers are returning early from their yearlong deployment, which began in March, because they reached their 24-month service cap within a five-year period, Braibish said. The soldiers were deployed to the Sinai Peninsula as part of a United Nations peacekeeping effort in 2002-2003. Eight months later they were activated for the Iraq mission. "Soldiers who were brought on active duty for a period of 24 months within a five-year period are entitled to step down," he explained. He was referring to a law passed by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks which limited how much active duty time a member of the Guard or military reserves could serve during a five-year period. Those returning are among a total 95 Oregon Guard members who qualified to return, according to an e-mail sent by Staff Sgt. Rebekah-mae N. Bruns, a Guard spokeswoman stationed in Iraq. Of those who didn’t return, 30 chose to stay in Iraq while another five were sent back for rehabilitation because of injuries, she wrote. Those who volunteered to stay will be paid $1,000 a month in addition to their regular pay as an incentive from the Department of Defense. The remaining members of the contingent are expected to stay in Iraq until their one-year duty is completed in March, officials said. The local Guard volunteered to augment the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, which is based in Cottage Grove. Some 600 members of the 2/162nd were deployed to Iraq. The 1/186th has units in Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls and Roseburg. Before those returning to Medford left Iraq, Battalion Commander Daniel Hendrickson thanked them for their service, according to Bruns. "You guys have paid your dues on the deployment and on previous deployments — that has earned you the right to go home," Hendrickson told the troops. "You all have families and guys, families come first because they will be here after this career is over." The returning soldiers, who were largely stationed at Camp Cook near Baghdad, served in hot spots like Sadr City, Najaf and Fallujah, Bruns reported. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities