This morning, 135 members of the 169th Military Police Company in the Rhode Island Army National Guard are due to return from an 11-month deployment in Iraq.

The company worked as police transition teams and was responsible for educating and training the Iraqi police forces. The 169th soldiers certified that the Iraqi officers received proper training while accompanying them on joint patrols to observe and instruct. The unit also supervised the establishment of functioning police stations.

The soldiers are expected to be flown to Quonset Air National Guard Base from Fort Dix today between 9 and 10 a.m.

“The importance of having a professional, well-trained police force is necessary for the government of Iraq’s ability to provide security and stability for its people,” Maj. Robert T. Bray, adjutant general of the Rhode Island National Guard, said in a statement.

The 169th Military Police Company is the oldest active unit in the Rhode Island National Guard, having served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I and World War II, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.