Army National Guard Staff Sgt. James J. LeBlanc is returning to the U.S. after a deployment to Iraq serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations.

The soldiers return to Joint Base Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst, N.J., for debriefing, evaluations and out-processing procedures before returning to their regularly assigned Army Reserve or National Guard units.

Operation New Dawn transitions and signifies a formal end to U.S. military combat operations in Iraq. Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to anti-terrorism military operations involving U.S. troops and allied coalition partners.

The sergeant, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with 15 years of military service, is regularly assigned to the 1136th Transportation Co., based out of Bangor.

Leblanc is the son of Donald J. and Linda A. LeBlanc of Livermore Falls. His wife, Alice, is the daughter of Pat Umphrey of Gray. LeBlanc graduated in 1995 from Livermore Falls High School.