BANGOR — The first 16 Maine National Guard soldiers will be returning to the United States after a yearlong mission to Afghanistan.

The soldiers are scheduled to arrive today at the Bangor International Airport on three commercial flights.

The soldiers are among 157 Maine National Guard soldiers from a company of the 172nd Mountain Infantry Regiment who spent nine months on the ground in Afghanistan at Combat Outpost Dand Wa Patan not far from the border with Pakistan. The soldiers underwent three months of training before they went overseas.

The entire company will return over the next two weeks. The soldiers will complete medical screening and various administrative requirements in Indiana before returning to their families.


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