Nearly 700 people gathered at Fort Gordon's gymnasium on Wednesday to greet members of the 35th Signal Brigade and the 67th Signal Battalion, which provided tactical communications at 70 sites in Iraq.

Another 243 members of the detachment were scheduled to return Thursday.

Willie and Davette Smith of Atlanta said standing in the heat for their daughter, Pvt. Jaszmine Smith, was well worth any discomfort as they celebrated her safe return and her 20th birthday.

Lt. Col. Peter Tragakis says the unit is not projected to deploy again for at least another 18 months.