LEWISTON – After a year in Iraq, protecting convoys and clearing roads of bombs, about 170 members of the Maine Army National Guard are preparing to return home.

The members of an ad hoc unit of the Maine Guard known as “Security Force One” arrived at Fort Dix in New Jersey on Saturday and plan to come home to Maine on Friday.

Details of the homecoming were sketchy on Tuesday.

The soldiers will likely make the entire trip from the New Jersey Army post to Bangor by bus, arriving in a convoy at a National Guard facility in the afternoon or evening on Friday.

There will be little official pomp at their arrival, said Maj. Michael Backus, spokesman for the Maine Guard. That will come weeks later, after the soldiers have had a chance to reconnect with friends and family.

“Our aim is to get them home to their families as soon as possible,” Backus said.

Sadly, not everyone will be coming home.

Two of the unit’s soldiers – Staff Sgt. David Veverka, a 25-year-old University of Maine student from Jamestown, Pa., and Staff Sgt. Dale J. Kelly Jr., 48, of Richmond, were killed by an improvised explosive device on May 6, 2006.

The attack, in the city of Ad Diwaniyah, wounded a third member of the unit, Spc. Chris Fraser. Officials declined to describe the nature of his injuries, but said he had recovered enough to meet his comrades when they arrived at Fort Dix.

Security Force One and a second unit, Security Force Two now deployed in Iraq, were created as a response to the growing number of Maine soldiers who have already served in Iraq.

Officials formed the groups by gathering Maine soldiers who had either not served in Iraq or had volunteered to return. They come from various units.

There are no plans to create a third such unit.

In December, the Pentagon changed its deployment policy to make it possible for guard members who had already served in Afghanistan or Iraq to be ordered back for a second tour.

The Maine Army Guard and the Air Guard have more than 424 personnel mobilized or deployed in the Middle East

Since Sept. 11, 2001, about 1,800 soldiers from the Maine Army Guard and more than 750 crew people from the Maine Air Guard have been activated.

Local members of Security Force One, Maine Army National Guard

Sgt. Brock Caton, Farmington

Pvt. 2nd Class Nikolas Edwards, Livermore

Pvt. Travis Hodsdon, Paris

Pfc. Chad Johnson, Sabattus

Sgt. Nathan Kay, Lewiston

Spc. Ajay Lesperance, Farmington

Spc. Eric Lloyd, Mexico

Pvt. Thomas Martin, Turner

Spc. Justin Maclean, Kingfield

Staff Sgt. Robert Masterman, Phillips

Pvt. Russell Nixon, West Bethel

Spc. Justin Scarbrough, Jay

Spc. Christopher Smith, Waterford

Sgt. Anthony Sturgis, Lewiston

Spc. Tony Wilson, Fryeburg

Source: Maine Army National Guard

Some soldiers may have been promoted to a higher rank while in Iraq.