Soldiers from the 479th Engineer Battalion, the Army Reserve unit based in Watertown, returned home to New York on Sunday morning after a 12-month deployment.

The 450 soldiers were stationed in Multinational Division Central in Iraq under the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., and then under the 10th Mountain Division. Their job was to clear improvised explosive devices from roads and build patrol bases that promote security and encourage Iraqis to return to their communities.

The battalion did not lose a single soldier and returned to Fort McCoy, Wis., last Tuesday before flying to New York on flights to Rochester and Syracuse. Other soldiers from out of the area flew directly to their homes.

"We had a very good deployment, and we brought everyone back," said Sgt. Maj., John M. Dorbanski, Elmira. "We were successful with what we did, and we walked away with a sense of pride."

Maj. Dorbanski now is ready to enjoy his retirement — he was a corrections officer for 27 years and retired as the unit was mobilized in spring 2007. He also gets to give away his daughter at her wedding this fall.

"It's good to be back," said 1st Sgt. Edward A. Greenwood, Copenhagen. "I can't wait for green grass and no sand."

Sgt. Greenwood will be on vacation all summer, then return to his job as a maintenance supervisor at Fort Drum. He worked on the convoys and hauled equipment throughout his deployment in Iraq.

No welcome home ceremony is scheduled for the unit, but the battalion commander, Maj. Jason Wallace, said something will be planned for the fall.

"I don't want no ceremony," Sgt. Greenwood said. "If there is a ceremony, it should be for the other troops, not for me."