The revolving door had almost closed when someone kicked it open again with a big camouflage combat boot.

Days after one North Dakota National Guard unit left the state for duty overseas, another has returned.

Or it's about to come back, anyway.

The 188th Air Defense Artillery's RAID unit flew into Fort Hood, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon. The 39 soldiers - including a dozen from Bismarck - had been in Afghanistan for a year. They'll be back in North Dakota within a week.

One in, one out: Nearly 190 members of the 191st Military Police Company left the state Sunday for Fort Dix, N.J. They're scheduled to serve in Baghdad for a year.

The RAIDunit - it stands for Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment - provided front-line radar and visual surveillance to help protect the Army's operating bases in Afghanistan.

The only thing left for the unit to do now is wait a few days. Soldiers need to get shots and complete the paperwork necessary to make the transition from active duty back to guard status.

"I can't wait to be home," Spc. Jeremy Kuntz of Bismarck said Wednesday from Fort Hood. "It will be fantastic to see my kid again."

Kuntz, 24, has a 4-year-old daughter, Destiny.

"Other than seeing her, the first thing I want to do is take a nice, hot shower,"Kuntz said. "And have a really big steak."

Kuntz said his fellow soldiers are in good spirits.

"Everyone is happy down here,"he said. "We're ready to get on the bus to get to our barracks so we can start our demobilization and get home."

The unit left Afghanistan on Jan. 17 for Kuwait. It flew into Maine on Wednesday before heading to Texas.

The Guard has about 20 support staff at Fort Hood to help the soldiers finish the transition from active duty as soon as possible. They will provide an exact schedule of the soldiers' return to North Dakota when that information becomes clear.

The RAID unit was activated by the Army on Nov. 18, 2006, and arrived in Afghanistan two months later. In addition to the Bismarck soldiers, the unit has members from Grand Forks, Minot, Fargo and Devils Lake.

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@bismarcktribune.com.)