COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- Fort Carson has welcomed home 200 soldiers who spent the last year providing aviation support in southern Afghanistan.

The Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/Wy10GP) the soldiers -- members of the base's 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division -- reunited with their loved ones during a ceremony Saturday night.

Battalion pilots flew more than 20,000 combat hours, including 750 hours of medical evacuation missions. They maintained 24-hour medical coverage of their area of operation, providing care to 430 patients and responding to 10 mass-casualty events.

The battalion did not suffer fatalities during its deployment.

An additional 200 of the battalion's soldiers are expected to return to Fort Carson by the end of the month.