344 Guardsmen due home from Iraq
Another 100 soldiers are still in Kuwait, but are expected home by the end of the month
The last large contingent of Hawaii's 29th Brigade Combat Team is expected home from the Iraqi warfront late tonight and early tomorrow morning.
The latest group of 344 soldiers will include members of the 29th Brigade's headquarters and command element.
Hawaii National Guard officials say only 100 soldiers belonging to the brigade's rear area detachment remain in Kuwait to finish the post-deployment process.
They are expected home by the end of the month, completing the 29th Brigade's historic deployment -- its first active-duty mission since the Vietnam War in 1968.
Once all of Hawaii's nearly 2,000 citizen soldiers are home, the Hawaii National Guard plans what it calls "freedom salute" ceremonies for each of the individual units on every island to honor not only the soldiers, but their families.
The 29th Brigade Combat Team also is expected join the island's other military units in a Waikiki parade on Kalakaua Avenue on May 6.
Earlier this week, one of the 29th Brigade's mainland unit -- the 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment -- returned to its home armories in southern California.
The California unit, one of three battalions normally assigned to the 29th Brigade, suffered the most casualties, with 12 killed and more than 100 wounded.
The California unit lost two battalion leaders during its deployment. Lt. Col. Patrick Frey was relieved of duty in October after 12 soldiers were charged with misconduct for allegedly mistreating Iraqi prisoners. Later in the year, seven of the soldiers were sentenced to hard labor.
Frey's replacement, Col. William Wood, was killed Oct. 27 while coming to the aid of one of his officers.
Besides California, the 29th Brigade drew Army Reserve soldiers from American Samoa, Guam, Saipan, Alaska, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona.
The 29th Brigade lost 17 soldiers. One, Sgt. Deyson Cariaga, was from Hawaii.
The California battalion is expected to be replaced by an Arizona Army National Guard unit once the 29th Brigade is reconstituted.