Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 576th Engineer Utilities Detachment, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, return to Virginia Feb. 10, 2023, after serving on federal active duty in Southwest Asia since May 2022. After conducting demobilization activities at Fort Bliss, Texas, the Soldiers flew into Norfolk and then reunited with loved ones at the VNG’s State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach. During the deployment, about 55 Soldiers assigned to the 576th supported U.S. Central Command’s Operation Spartan Shield where they completed vital infrastructure projects and made significant improvements to U.S. and partner nation’s physical security through the creation of traffic control points, gates, bunkers and embankments in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)