Pascual Flores WELCOME BACK -- Maj. Gen. Jessica Wright, left, Pennsylvania Army National Guard (PAARNG) Adjutant General, provides a hearty welcome home to Capt. Dorothy Watkins of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) on the return of the advance party (ADVON) Tuesday on the flightline of McGuire Air Force Base. Approximately 140 Soldiers from the SBCT returned to help in the processing of the brigades return from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

About 140 Soldiers from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team rounded the bases for home this week after departing from the Operation Iraqi Freedom Theater of operations to begin the demobilization process at Fort Dix.

The Advance Echelon (ADVON) of arriving Soldiers touched down at McGuire Air Force Base early Tuesday morning and will serve to ensure that the 4,200-plus Soldiers experience a smooth transition through Fort Dix (third base) and then get home safe.

While in Iraq, these Soldiers operated in an 800-square-mile area north of Baghdad. Since late February, the 56th has been in charge of security by combating Iraqi insurgents and training the Iraqi Army. The Soldiers also conducted humanitarian operations and projects to improve the electrical infrastructure for local Iraqis throughout their respective operational area.

As part of the demobilization processes at Fort Dix, the Soldiers will undergo several days of briefings, reintegration training, medical and administrative processing before they return to their home armories throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

The 56th is the only one of the Army's seven Stryker brigades to be contained within a Guard division. The Stryker is a combat vehicle that resembles a tank but utilizes wheels instead of tracks.

The Stryker, produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, comes in 10 variants. The infantry carrier variant can transport a full squad of seven Soldiers in addition to a vehicle commander, driver and gunner. The vehicles feature fire-suppression systems and operators can adjust tire pressure for varying terrain.

Soldiers of the 56th deployed to Iraq in January after training at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., and Fort Dix with their final mobilization and deployment from Camp Shelby Miss.

Within the first 100 days of their assignment in theater, Gen. Raymond Odierno, commanding general of U. S. forces in Iraq, praised the work of the unit and its Soldiers following a visit to the Taji region.

"I found the brigade and the company that was in that area to be very aware of its surroundings and to be developing good relationships with the Iraqi Security Forces - specifically the Iraqi Army units there - as well as quickly bonding with the community," Odierno said. "It was a very impressive visit and they are on the right track."

Odierno said, "The brigade has established a very good relationship with the civilians who comprise the reconstruction team at work in Taji." He pointed out that the National Guard Soldiers have brought their much-needed civilian skills to Iraq.
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