Going Home from Iraq

Camp Adder, August 2010

The First Battalion, 116th Infantry, a National Guard unit of 400 soldiers based in Lynchburg, Va., is slated to leave Iraq as part of the drawdown of U.S. forces that foresees a reduction of troop strength to 50,000 by Sept. 1, 2010. Above, the soldiers depart from a promotion ceremony at Camp Adder, a base 220 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Last Days

Shawn Brown, 22, a member of the 1-116th, walks through a vehicle graveyard near Camp Taji, in central Iraq.

Cover of Night

Soldiers from the unit gather before their last convoy escort mission to Baghdad.

Flagpole

A member of the 1-116th lowers the flag at Camp Adder. Home to 20,000 service members and contractors, Adder is one of the last U.S. bases scheduled to close in Iraq.

Receiving Guests

This Iraqi driver once worked with U.S. troops.

Congratulations

Soldiers with the 1-116th celebrate Matthew Moriarty's 20th birthday.

Perspective

Joshua Carl Johnson, 19, is the youngest soldier with the 1-116th. "There's still a lot of work to be done," he says.

Prayer

Soldiers with the 1-116th pray at Camp Adder. The unit, which was mobilized in January 2010 for a one-year tour, is one of the few entire battalions in Iraq to be affected by the curtailment.

Final Mission

Soldiers from the unit's Alpha Company provided a security detail for a group of officers who were traveling to Baghdad, the battalion's last job outside the wire before departing from Iraq.

Staging Area

Dozens of blast walls lie at Camp Adder. Much of the equipment that will leave Iraq is brought here, then taken to Kuwait, then to the U.S. or Afghanistan.