More than 3,000 troops of the Tennessee National Guard 278th ACR will be returning from Iraq earlier than expected.
Tennessee's Adjutant General Major General Max Haston, announced on Monday that the first troops of the state's largest National Guard unit will arrive on Wednesday in Smyrna.
Although the deployment was expected to last through December, the earlier return is due to the draw down of troops as the military reduces combat troop levels of fewer than 50,000 soldiers in Iraq by Aug. 31.
Maj. Gen. Haston said, "In order to meet the National Command Authority’s timeline of less than 50,000 combat troops in Iraq after Aug. 31, 2010, soldiers of the 278th have begun leaving their Iraqi bases and are heading back to the United States. We are extremely pleased to welcome these brave soldiers home earlier than planned.”
The regiment will be returning home over the next couple of months, with all troops expected home by Aug. 31. This is the regiment's second deployment to Iraq.
“We thank them for their service and we thank their families and employers for the outstanding support shown throughout this deployment,” Maj. Gen. Haston said. “The 278th continues the tradition of excellence shown by the nearly 20,000 Tennessee soldiers and airmen deployed since September 11, 2001, and the generations of Tennessee Volunteers who served before them.”
The 278th mobilized in December 2009, and had anticipated staying in Iraq until December 2010.