COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- About 120 soldiers with a South Carolina Army National Guard unit are returning home after a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.

Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Les Carroll says the members of the 742nd Support Maintenance Company are flying into Columbia on Wednesday.

Family members and friends planned a welcome ceremony for the soldiers, who are based at the McEntire Joint National Guard Base near Eastover.

The unit has been working in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan to maintain vehicles, small arms and electronics equipment.

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