LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico National Guard soldiers are scheduled to be stateside as early as Saturday after a deployment to Egypt.

625 soldiers, most from Las Cruces, were deployed for nine months to the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.

A spokesperson for the New Mexico National Guard said the troops would be returning in two groups to Indiana where they will be debriefed and medically evaluated.

A group of New Mexico guardsmen was attacked during the deployment but did not involve and soldiers from Southern New Mexico.

The guard plans on holding a ceremony for the soldiers at the Las Cruces Convention Center tentatively scheduled for December 11th or 13th.