TURNER — Army National Guard Spec. Steven M. Dee Jr. 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. The transition shifts the U.S. emphasis from predominantly military to predominately civilian as the U.S. officials assist Iraqis in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement.

The specialist, a military police member with more than eight years of military service, is regularly assigned to the 1136th Transportation Company, based out of Bangor.

He is the son of Steven M. Dee Sr. of Turner.

Dee graduated in 1999 from Gray-New Gloucester High School and received an associate degree in 2008 from Southern Maine Community College, South Portland.