Busloads of soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion are expected to return to Maine in three groups over the next few days, with the Belfast and Westbrook companies arriving today.

Welcome home gatherings are expected to be held at each site.

The tentative return schedule is as follows:

. Wednesday, March 2 – A Company of Belfast will arrive in the early evening at Belfast High School; B Company of Westbrook will arrive in the late afternoon or early evening at Westbrook High School.

. Friday, March 4 – C Company of Lewiston will arrive in the early evening at Lewiston High School. The Headquarters Service Company also will arrive in the early evening at the Stevens Avenue Armory in Portland and the Augusta Armory.

. Saturday, March 5 – Soldiers who remained in Kuwait an extra day to complete port detail will arrive at armories in Gardiner, Belfast, Westbrook and Lewiston, and Stevens Avenue Armory in Portland.

The battalion, which is composed of soldiers from all over the state and southern New Hampshire, is now at Fort Drum, N.Y., undergoing demobilization before coming to Maine. Demobilization, which includes medical and dental screening, filling out paperwork and cataloging equipment, usually takes about seven days.

During their approximately one-year deployment to Iraq, the soldiers provided humanitarian relief to Iraqi citizens and constructed schools, health clinics and other facilities.

Three soldiers from the 133rd were killed and 35 were wounded while serving overseas. The battalion was the largest group of Maine troops deployed to combat since World War II.