Oregon Public Broadcasting

Several hundred Oregon National Guard troops took part in a demobilization ceremony in Portland Wednesday. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, they've returned after serving a year in Iraq.

The soldiers gathered in the Chiles Center on the campus of the University of Portland. They lined up in ranks as family members watched from seats all around.

There was a military band, bag pipes and prayers. Dana Mortier  is thrilled to see her 21-year-old son again.

Dana Mortier: "It's great having him back. That's one son back and we have one more in Iraq coming back soon in July."

The soldiers represent only a fraction of the 24-hundred Oregon National Guard troops returning. It's been the Guard's largest ever deployment.

Two soldiers died during the deployment -- Earl Werner and Taylor Marks were killed in Iraq last August by a roadside bomb.