Fort Riley ? More than 500 soldiers based at Fort Riley, the first among thousands due back to the post from Iraq by the end of next month, returned to joyous welcomes during the weekend.

About 130 troops arrived early Saturday morning, followed by another 200 that evening and about 150 more Sunday night. An advance party of about 100 returned to the post a week ago.

“This is just the beginning,” post spokeswoman Deb Skidmore said Monday. “When all this is done, we’ll have 3,500 of them back home by the end of October.”

The soldiers are welcomed in brief ceremonies at Marshall Army Airfield, where families gather to await the return.

“It’s a lot of happy times,” Skidmore said. “The ceremonies are pretty short and sweet. They’re not interested in hearing speeches.”

She said that when the soldiers were allowed to break ranks, “it’s just mass chaos.”

“It’s a stampede out on the floor, with the soldiers and their families rushing, crying, and hugging and kissing,” she said. “It puts the hair up on your arm.”

Skidmore said additional arrivals were expected this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, but post officials don’t know when until the planes are in the air from Kuwait.

Most of the returning soldiers are from the 1st Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, along with various supporting units. Before the transfer back home began, Fort Riley had about 4,200 troops deployed overseas for the Operation Iraqi Freedom effort. Forty-two Fort Riley soldiers have died.

All the returning soldiers are active-duty members of the Army; Fort Riley also is a last stop before overseas deployment of some National Guard and Army Reserve troops. Skidmore said the post expected to mobilize up to 3,000 of them this fall.