Fort Riley ? After a year in Iraq transporting some 300,000 passengers and 9 million pounds of cargo, a Fort Riley aviation unit is coming home.

Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade will begin arriving this week, with ceremonies planned when they return to Kansas.

The unit grew in size and coverage area during its deployment to Iraq, rising from 2,800 soldiers and almost 120 aircraft to about 4,000 soldiers and more than 230 helicopters.

Fort Riley officials say that as U.S. forces began leaving Iraq, the aviation brigade was the sole unit of its type in the country. Its role was to provide aerial support to ground units conducting a variety of missions.