Friends, family and local officials welcomed home 27 members of the 116th Air Control Squadron Saturday after their five-month deployment to Iraq.

The team, one of the most deployed in the Oregon Air National Guard, was officially deactivated in a ceremony at the Rilea Training Facility in Warrenton."They are an example of what I'm looking for out of the rest of the Oregon Air National Guard," said Brig. Gen. Bruce Prunk. "I'm very proud of what they do."

The airmen worked in a region northwest of Baghdad known as Qayyarah, providing communications and radar support and working with Balad Airbase.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, and Rep. Deborah Boone, D-Cannon Beach, all attended the ceremony, along with officials from the Oregon National Guard. The unit was awarded several medals for their support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.