LEWISTON – Charlie Company’s combat engineers should be rolling into the high school parking lot at roughly 4 this afternoon.

A few minutes later, they’ll form ranks, salute Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby, then race into the arms of the people who love them most.

For these members of the 133rd Engineer Battalion, Maine Army National Guard, their tour of duty is ending. Iraq a memory, they’ll no longer be waging war.

Maj. Peter Rogers, the guard’s public information officer, said Thursday that the 133rd’s troopers were scheduled to leave Fort Drum in upstate New York at 6:30 this morning.

He’ll be as happy as anyone to see them in Maine.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in the 133rd,” Rogers said, adding that he’s proud of their service. “They really stepped up to the plate.”

Their convoy of buses – besides Charlie Company, soldiers from Headquarters Company are also returning today – is expected to arrive in Kennebunk around 2:30 this afternoon. After a brief stop, they’ll leave the rest area under state police escort.

One bus filled with Headquarters Company GIs will peel off at Westbrook; another will continue to Augusta.

Charlie Company’s buses will leave the turnpike in Lewiston and head directly to the high school, Rogers said. The company’s soldiers are assigned to armories in this city and in Norway. Its members come from cities and towns throughout Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.

Their arrival here is likely to be emotional, said Rogers. Family, friends, co-workers, veterans, politicians and anyone else who wants to welcome them home may do so, he said.

“They better come early” though, he said. “We expect a really large number of people.”

People shouldn’t expect any big ceremony as the troops muster out, however. That will come in about three months, when the guard intends to bring the entire 133rd Engineer Battalion together again for an official freedom salute. No date or place for the salute has been yet set, Rogers said, but when it’s held individual troops will be decorated with a variety of medals, and the entire unit will receive ribbons acknowledging its commendable service to the nation.

Today’s event will be a simple affair, Rogers said.

The soldiers will get off their buses, head into the high school, form ranks, then march into the gymnasium. There they’ll face Libby, who commands all of Maine’s citizen-soldiers, offer him a salute, then be dismissed.

Rogers said people welcoming the troops are certainly welcome to bring flags, banners, signs and whatever else they might want to make the homecoming festive.

While some city officials are expected to attend today’s arrival, they aren’t planning any speeches or anything else that will slow the soldiers from getting to their wives, husbands, children and parents. Some may speak at the future freedom salute, but they intend to keep a low profile today.

The Fire Department plans a salute. There will be crossed ladders, said Battalion Chief George Merrill, with an American flag draped between them in a salute to the troops.

The Public Works Department also has offered to do what it can to clear any remaining snow around the high school to help with parking.

Emmett Stuart, the past commander of American Legion Post 153 in New Auburn, said the post’s honor guard will attend the homecoming, but it won’t get in the way of things.

“I haven’t heard from other (veterans’) groups” about their plans, he added.

Stuart said the Auburn post has plans for an open house that will be held soon, but its members want to give the 133rd’s soldiers time with loved ones first.

“I expect some of them will stop by” before much time passes, he added. “Some of them are members, and we’ve got their orders already on the shelf.”

Those orders were placed from Iraq.

“Irish whiskey” was most requested, Stuart said.

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