NC-based brigade scheduled for another Iraq tour

FORT BRAGG — The Department of Defense says a brigade of paratroopers from Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division will return to Iraq later this year as part of a regular rotation of troops.

The 3,500-member 3rd Brigade Combat Team is scheduled to deploy in the fall along with seven other major Army units. The 82nd Airborne said its brigade returned to North Carolina last September after a 15-month deployment to Iraq.

The Pentagon said the latest units will be deployed for 12 months instead of 15 months.

The 82nd said last week its 1st brigade would return from Iraq in July. Until the 3rd brigade leaves, the entire division will be at its home base for the first time in three years.

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