They've driven the distance from the Earth to the moon at 25 mph.

They've discovered more than 300 bombs along roadsides in north-central Iraq, helping to keep supply routes clear and safe.

They've had four soldiers killed in the process, as bombs exploded.

Now, after more than a year away, it's time for the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion to come home.

Keeping the timetable intentionally vague, the North Dakota National Guard on Tuesday announced the 141st will return to the state before the end of February. A few of the 475 soldiers already are out of Iraq, preparing equipment for the return trip.

The soldiers likely will return in four groups, Gov. John Hoeven said. The North Dakota National Guard's commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Haugen, will send 30 staff members to Fort Carson, Colo., to speed up the demobilization process.

"You can expect (the unit) to start flowing back to this country very, very soon," Haugen said. He said plans aren't concrete yet, but that the unit will return before March. "It's beyond Jell-O, sort of in wet cement."

The 141st is headquartered in Valley City. It has companies based in Bismarck, Jamestown, Williston and Dickinson, and detachments in Mott and Hettinger. The unit was mobilized Dec. 18, 2003, and left to train at Fort Carson 10 days later. It landed in Kuwait on Feb. 15, 2004, when the clock officially started ticking on its one-year deployment.

The unit's primary mission has been the bomb-clearing duty, called Task Force Trailblazer. Haugen said there was not a blueprint to follow once the mission started.

"They wrote the book on this mission," Haugen said. "Right now, today, they are teaching other soldiers how to do this mission. They have just done a hell of a job."

Haugen said the 141st has become a beloved unit by many American soldiers because of the work it's done clearing the roadways. He said he talked to three-star generals who could identify the 141st by unit and commander.

At the latest, the unit should be back in North Dakota within six weeks, he said. It will be without four of the soldiers it left with, however. Hoeven said to remember the sacrifices made by Spc. James Holmes, Spc. Philip Brown, Staff Sgt. Lance J. Koenig and Spc. Cody Wentz.

"Some members of the 141 made the ultimate sacrifice," Hoeven said. "These tremendous individuals gave their lives for their country. Our hearts are heavy for them and their families."

Haugen said the soldiers will need time to reacclimate to civilian life. The Guard has two full-time social workers, a chaplain and family support groups poised to help that transition occur smoothly.

The Guard also plans to host official homecoming celebrations for the unit at its various armories. It will announce dates for those functions after the soldiers return.

One Guard unit, Battery F of the 188th Air Defense Artillery, will remain in Iraq. About 100 soldiers from the Grand Forks-based unit were mobilized in June and are currently stationed near Kirkuk.

(Reach Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tspilde@ndonline.com.)