All but a small handful of Colchester troops sent to Iraq are now home.
About 2,500 troops from the town were sent out to the Gulf earlier this year to take part in the military operations in Iraq.
They are now nearly all home, much to the relief of families and friends.
A spokesman for Colchester Garrison said: "They are all back, except for just one or two people and I mean one or two people.
"Three Para have all come home during the past few days. The only unit still there from 16 Air Assault is 1 Para."
One Para is based in Dover but is part of the Colchester-based air assault brigade.
It means the mid-June return date promised by the garrison's top brass has become a reality.
The date was thrown into doubt after some Army wives got a memo warning them their loved ones might not be returning for another eight weeks.
But the Army in Colchester stood by its original date of June 14 and urged families to treat the memo sent out "with caution".
Published Friday, June 13, 2003
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