JONESVILLE, La. &045; Susan Bean almost knows by heart what will happen before she gets to hug her son again.

Bean and other family members of the 1087th Transportation Unit of the Louisiana Army National Guard are anxiously waiting for the guard members to return.

And they finally know a date &045; on or about April 1 &045; when the guard members will begin making their way back home, mainly to Jena and Jonesville.

The soldiers were activated in February 2003.

&uot;They’ve been out of the country right at a year now,&uot; said Bean, whose son, Scott, is serving in Iraq.

Scott Bean was able to come home for two weeks in October &045; the first time he saw his baby daughter, who was born in August.

Susan Bean said the 1087th will return first to Alexandria Airport, where families will be able to see but not touch the guard members. In a scenario similar to the return of the 1086th, a guard unit from Vidalia, the men and women will be escorted to Fort Polk for a short ceremony.

&uot;And then we get to touch them,&uot; Susan Bean said.

After 24 hours’ leave, the guard members will remain at Fort Polk for a few days before returning to their homes.

And when that happens, Susan Bean said, the town of Jonesville will hold a welcome home party.

Plans are still in the works, according to a press release from Teresa Coplen of the 1087th’s family support group.

&uot;The plans are

to have a big ‘hero’s welcome home’ celebration,&uot; Coplen said. &uot;The personalized signs that have decorated Jonesville Main Street are being redone, and the flags will be replaced. Posters will be placed along the highway from Texaco Town throughout Jonesville. Decorations, banners and refreshments will be awaiting the soldiers at the armory.&uot;

The family support group is asking community members to begin making their own decorations as well, since weather has left many of the flags and yellow ribbons and other items worn and tattered.

The next meeting of the Jonesville Family Support Group is 9 a.m. Saturday at the National Guard Armory. Family and friends are invited to attend as homecoming plans continue. The support group expects to meet every Saturday this month until the decorations are completed or until the soldiers arrive home.