Members of the 130th Military History Detachment (MHD), North Carolina Army National Guard, will return to Raleigh tonight, Monday, June 17, after a six-month tour of duty in Southwest Asia. This unit is the first from the North Carolina Army National Guard to return from the combat zone since Guard units began receiving activation orders after Sept. 11.

The unit will arrive at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at approximately 11:30 p.m. Members of the media wishing to cover the return should be at the Terminal A Extension lobby next to the Southwest Airlines ticket counter by 10:45 p.m. These soldiers will be available for interview. Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram, Jr., adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, will be on hand to greet them.

The 130th's tour of duty took it to the front lines of the war on terrorism as it supported Operation Enduring Freedom from bases in Afghanistan and Kuwait. The unit was activated last December and left for Southwest Asia just after Christmas.

The 130th MHD is based at the state's National Guard headquarters in Raleigh and was activated previously for both Operation Desert Storm and peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia. It ensures that individual units' records are complete and preserved through proper channels, and also collects artifacts and renders advice concerning historical property. Military history detachments have helped preserve the accurate story of battle as seen by the American soldier.