Some Hawaii Army National Guard soldiers who were told last year that they were deploying to Iraq but instead went to Kuwait are returning home Wednesday after being deployed for nine months.

About 50 soldiers with the Hilo-based Company C, 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment were mobilized in August of 2011 and deployed to Kuwait after several months of training in Texas.

The soldiers, who fly and maintain Black Hawk helicopters, are scheduled to return to Hawaii Wednesday night to a welcome home ceremony at Wheeler Army Airfield. They provided general aviation support in Kuwait.

On Dec. 17, the last U.S. combat troops left Iraq as the nearly 9-year-old war ended. Among the very last to leave were 68 Schofield Barracks soldiers who were part of the 25th Infantry Division headquarters, which had a command role in Iraq as the war wound down.