Charlie Battery begins return

MADISON, Wis. -- More than 550 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery are returning to Fort McCoy following a 12-month deployment in Iraq, the Associated Press reported.

The unit completed their transfer of authority ceremony on Friday at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, and are expected to begin arriving at Fort McCoy on Sunday, the AP report states.

There are five major units in the 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery. The Minnesota Army National Guard says the group successfully completed 591 combat missions over 1.9 million miles without accident or injury, the AP reported.

The group also received a command safety award and conducted 127 soldier reenlistments while deployed.

The 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery (1-151 FA) is a Minnesota Army National Guard battalion headquartered in Montevideo. The 1-151 FA provides combatant commanders with a trained and ready force; additionally, the 1-151 FA is prepared to support the State of Minnesota with troops capable of assisting in a disaster.

There are five major units in the 1-151 FA: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery in Montevideo; Battery A in Marshall; Battery B in Madison and Olivia; Battery C in Morris and Ortonville; and the 175th Forward Support Company in Appleton.

This report contains information from the Associated Press and the Minnesota National Guard.