By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer

What: Freedom Salute for the 133rd Engineer Battalion

When: 1 p.m. Sunday, July 24

Where: Augusta Civic Center

133rd to receive Freedom Salute’

More than four months after its return from Iraq, the 133rd Engineer Battalion is about to receive its formal welcome home.

The nearly 500 soldiers will be honored Sunday in a “Freedom Salute” ceremony at the Augusta Civic Center.

The soldiers, many from Lewiston-Auburn and western Maine, will be honored with a Meritorious Unit Award and addresses by leaders including Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine.

The public is invited.

“We expect lots of family members, friends and employers to turn out,” said Maj. Michael Backus, spokesman for the Maine National Guard.

The ceremony is expected to be the biggest welcome home yet for Maine soldiers returning from Iraq. Although such ceremonies have been held for other returning groups, this is the first celebration for an entire battalion, Backus said.

It also will be the first gathering of the entire group since its return to the United States in late February.

The Maine National Guard battalion spent nearly 11 months in Iraq, working on road and construction projects throughout the northern third of the country.

Since returning home, most of the men and women have returned to school or jobs.

Sunday’s event will include gifts of encased American flags and certificates for the soldiers and “future soldier footlocker kits” for their children. The kits will include board games and trading cards.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and last about two hours.