PORTLAND (AP) – Members of the 1136th Transportation Company were back in Maine on Monday after spending more than a year in the Middle East.

The unit’s 140 members left Fort Dix, N.J., in four buses Monday morning after arriving at the base last week, said Maine National Guard Maj. Pete Rogers. The 1136th is located in Bangor, with a detachment in Sanford.

Family and friends greeted members of the Sanford detachment with applause and cheers when they arrived at the Sanford armory a few minutes after 6 p.m. The other three buses were due in Bangor at 9 p.m.

“It was a really long day, but he’s finally here and I couldn’t be more grateful,” said Heather Jordan, whose fiance returned home Monday. “It feels great.”

The company was among the first Maine units to be put on alert in February 2003. The guardsmen flew to the Middle East last April.

While overseas, members of the unit were in charge of hauling water, fuel and other cargo across Kuwait and Iraq, Rogers said.

AP-ES-04-19-04 1943EDT