Fort Riley ? The first group of soldiers from Fort Riley’s Combat Aviation Brigade will return to Kansas this weekend after a year in Iraq.

They are part of the 1st Infantry Division headquartered in Kansas and will return to the Army post over the next month. It is the brigade’s second tour in Iraq since forming at Fort Riley in 2006.

While deployed since March 2010, the brigade increased its operations area to cover territory the size of California. It also increased in the number of soldiers and helicopters under its control.

The brigade left Kansas with 2,800 soldiers and almost 120 aircraft and is now in control of almost 4,000 soldiers and more than 230 helicopters.

Fort Riley is located about 60 miles west of Topeka in northeast Kansas.