SC Army Guard engineers returning from Afghanistan

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — About 150 soldiers with the South Carolina Army National Guard are returning home after a year’s deployment clearing roadside bombs in Afghanistan.

Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Les Carroll says the unit is returning Sunday at the Aiken Technical College Gymnasium in Graniteville.

The 1221st Engineer Clearance Company lost two soldiers during its deployment. Carroll says Staff Sgt. Willie Harley of Aiken and Sgt. Luther Rabon Jr. of Lexington died in October in Paktika province when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

Officials say the unit has been in Camp Shelby, Miss., for several weeks wrapping up their post-deployment duties before returning to South Carolina.