By Stephenie Steitzer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FORT THOMAS - Families and friends of 200 local Army reservists can breathe a sigh of relief. Members of the Army Reserve 478th Engineer Battalion, which was sent to Kuwait in March, are scheduled to arrive at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Fort Thomas sometime after 6 p.m. today, said Andrea Walton, a spokeswoman for the battalion.

The battalion, which consists of about 450 reservists - about 200 from the area - spent most of the past five months in Iraq guarding facilities, running supplies to other units and rebuilding schools and other infrastructure, Walton said.

An official homecoming ceremony will be held Sunday afternoon, but many families, including Tom and Charlene Bebout of Montgomery, will be anxiously waiting in Fort Thomas when their loved ones arrive.

The Bebout's daughter Holly, 22, was the third generation of Bebouts to go off to war.

Bebout said he and his wife drove to Fort Campbell on July 16 to see their daughter for about three hours.

The unit retuned earlier to Fort Campbell before area reservists come home to Fort Thomas today.

E-mail ssteitzer@enquirer.com