About 60 soldiers with the Idaho National Guard's Company A, 1-168 General Support Aviation Battalion arrived in Fort Hood, Texas, Saturday night, according to a National Guard spokesman. They will spend the next week in Texas doing out-processing before returning to Idaho.

The soldiers were greeted at Fort Hood by Gov. Butch Otter, Idaho Adjutant General Gary L. Sayler, Command Sgt. Major Kenneth Downing and other members of the Idaho National Guard.

The unit was deployed for nine months to Afghanistan, where they operated eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Their mission was to transport personnel and equipment throughout the Afghanistan combat operations area.

The unit deployed to Southwest Asia twice before — in 2000-2001 and again in 2007-2008 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.