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History-making Guard unit returning to St. Paul Friday

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 24, 2008 - 11:29 PM

A National Guard regiment that made military history while in Iraq will see 278 of its soldiers greeted with a series of welcoming ceremonies Friday in St. Paul.

The St. Paul-based 2nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment will be coming home to friends and loved ones in four groups, starting about 1:30 p.m., at the Army Aviation Support Facility, 206 Airport Rd. The remaining groups will each follow in one-hour intervals.

The soldiers have been at Volk Field in Wisconsin in recent days, undergoing medical and administrative processing since their return from Iraq early this week.

The unit served a 16-month deployment, 11 of those in Iraq performing aviation support and air assault missions. The unit flew about 18,500 combat flight hours, transported 77,422 passengers and hauled 1.9 million pounds of cargo.

Also, the unit flew what the guard calls "a mission unique in American history," when an all-female assignment was carried out involving two Blackhawk helicopters, each with two pilots and two door gunners. The pre-mission crew flight briefings also were exclusively female, the guard said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482