COLCHESTER, Vt. (AP) – Sixteen members of the Vermont Army National Guard have been honored for their service in Afghanistan.

During the yearlong tour, which ended for most men in January, the guard members trained Afghan army and police units in the northern part of the country.

At Saturday’s Freedom Salute ceremony, Gov. Jim Douglas commemorated the soldiers’ efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan.

a country that had lived under the repressive Taliban regime.

Col. Raymond Bouchard, who led Task Force Guardian, said that the work was “a tremendous undertaking” and “nothing short of amazing.” And he said the mission is not over.

He said another Vermont Army National Guard contingent could be deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.

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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com

AP-ES-06-01-08 1341EDT