ROCK SPRINGS - Wyoming's "Bridge Trolls" are coming home from war-torn Iraq.

Loved ones, local and state officials and others are expected to flock to the Rock Springs/Sweetwater County Airport Wednesday morning to greet the 146 soldiers of Wyoming Army National Guard's 1041st Engineer Company who are returning from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq.

Officials said Gov. Dave Freudenthal - who gave the troops a rousing send-off before a packed house in Rock Springs in July 2006 - will be on hand with Wyoming's Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Ed Wright to welcome the soldiers home.

The soldiers were mobilized mainly from the Rock Springs, Afton and Evanston area of southwest Wyoming.

"We are very proud of our returning soldiers … their sense of service before self exemplifies the entire Wyoming Army National Guard's commitment to defend and serve the nation and Wyoming," Wright said in a release Monday.

Guard public affairs specialist Msgt. Trudy Woodcock said the soldiers are expected to arrive at the Rock Springs/Sweetwater County Airport in two charter aircraft.

She said the first plane is scheduled to land at approximately 10:35 a.m. She said a brief "welcome home" ceremony will be held at the airport after both aircraft and all the soldiers have landed.

Capt. Nona Nissen commanded the 1041st Engineer Company while in Iraq. The unit adopted the nickname Bridge Trolls to epitomize the rough, tough creature who guards a bridge and never quits.

Woodcock said while in Iraq, the unit performed convoy security operations at various locations. The unit was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and flew to Mississippi for training prior to being deployed to Iraq.

She said unit members arrived at Camp Shelby, Miss., Saturday for processing prior to Wednesday's homecoming.

Soldiers in the unit had initially expected to be away 18 months as part of the U.S. Defense Department's rotation of forces in Iraq, but the tour was cut short due to the needs of the U.S. Army.

The unit was presented with an "Entering Wyoming" highway sign during the 2006 deployment ceremony that was displayed in the company's camp in Iraq during the tour of duty.

Commanders said the sign has been given to all National Guard units deployed in Wyoming since the Korean War.

The bridge group unit is famed for building river crossings for assault battalions in as little as 12 minutes upon arrival. The unit's mission is to clear crossing areas, building launch ramps and demolishing sites after use.

The unit formed in 1996 and is headquartered in Rock Springs, with detachments in Evanston and Afton.

The 1041st was the first Wyoming Army National Guard unit mobilized after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Unit members deployed to Fort Polk, La. with the intent to further deploy to Iraq to perform bridging operations.

The unit's equipment left Louisiana five months after the unit mobilized in January 2003, but the swift pace of the conflict in Iraq resulted in the unit's demobilization before going overseas.

Woodcock said formal awards ceremonies will be held for the unit in February.

Southwest Wyoming Bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearinotribcsp.com.