By AP
Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma soldiers returning from Afghanistan
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma National Guard says 33 soldiers with the 45th Infantry Brigade are returning to Oklahoma in time for Christmas.
The Guard said in a news release Thursday morning that the soldiers are to arrive at the Norman Armed Forces Reserve Center later Monday.
The Guard says the return is the result of the Department of Defense's "surge reduction" that requires troops to reduce their numbers by Dec. 31.
The soldiers are among nearly 2,200 Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen from the 45th deployed to Afghanistan in June. The remainder of the brigade is expected to leave Afghanistan in early next spring.