A public ceremony will be held in Auburn Sunday to honor soldiers from the 222nd Military Police Company who recently returned from duty in Iraq.

The Freedom Salute, organized by the U.S. Army National Guard, will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Auburn High School auditorium.

More than half of the 222nd Military Police members are from the local area. The ceremony will include announcements about awards soldiers have qualified to receive and the recognition of family, friends and employers who supported the soldiers while they were away on active duty.

The Freedom Salute Campaign is the one of the largest Army National Guard programs, designed to publicly acknowledge soldiers and those who supported them during the military operations that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

According to the National Guard, the Freedom Salute Campaign began December 2003 and has recognized more than 100,000 soldiers, family members, friends, employers, centers of influence and others for their contributions.

The leadership of the National Guard considers the campaign the most important part of its recruiting and retention program because, it says, parents, prospective soldiers, current members and families will watch closely how the National Guard treats its returning soldiers.