GUARDSMEN FROM DEXTER WILL RETURN

DEXTER -- Soldiers in the Missouri National Guard's 1221st Transportation Company from Dexter will make the long-awaited journey home from Saudi Arabia this week, according to information from family members and Guard sources. The Guard unit has about 180 soldiers based at its Dexter armory and another 50-plus with its Jefferson City detachment.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, announced late last week that most of the unit will return home this week, with another 20 members returning from the Persian Gulf on July 1.

Emerson said, "I am delighted not only for the brave soldiers but for the families of the 1221st Transportation Unit. Given the latest update, it appears that these courageous men and women will be returning home before the Fourth of July festivities. I cannot think of a more appropriate occasion than Independence Day to celebrate the return of our citizen soldiers from the Persian Gulf."

The Guard unit was activated Nov. 16 as part of the U.S. troop deployment to the Persian Gulf.

The company's departure date is still unclear, but as of late last week, the most likely time for the 1221st to leave is Wednesday evening. That means the 1221st could arrive at Fort Leonard Wood Thursday afternoon or evening.

"Nothing is definite yet," Bonnie Rodgers of rural Dexter, lead volunteer for the 1221st Family Support Group, said Friday night. "I know that a majority of the support group have their reservations made at Fort Leonard Wood from the 24th on. We'll be there whenever they come home."

Apparently, Guard officials are planning to allow the 1221st soldiers to spend time with their families upon arrival at Fort Leonard Wood. The guardsmen would be expected to stay in the area until the next day. Then, members of the 1221st would board a bus sometime on Friday morning for the trip home to the Dexter armory.

Guard sources said that preliminary plans call for members of the 1221st to spend time in their home communities until Sunday, June 30. The soldiers would then report back to Fort Leonard Wood for their final processing on July 1-3, which means returning their official status from the U.S. Army back to the Missouri National Guard.

Conceivably, the 1221st soldiers could complete their duty for Operation Desert Storm and be free of their Army commitment by Independence Day.

If everything goes according to plan, the city of Dexter and surrounding communities would be welcoming home the soldiers of the 1221st Friday afternoon. Members of the welcoming committee have been planning for several months for the soldiers' eventual return to Dexter.