The Washington National Guard will welcome back another batch of its soldiers from Iraq, the 790th Chemical Company, due in Friday afternoon.

The company’s name notwithstanding, its soldiers spent the past year guarding high-value detainees near Baghdad. Pennsylvania National Guardsmen who had this mission told interesting stories about Saddam Hussein’s weakness for Dorito’s; perhaps the returning guardsmen will share similar experiences.

Ordinarily the 790th’s mission is to provide decontamination and medical triage in the event of, say, a chemical, biological or radiological attack or accident.

But in Iraq they were employed as security forces. They guarded detainees, took them to hearings at the Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or to the hospital for medical care, among other duties.