With the return yesterday of 270 soldiers and Marines from Iraq and the imminent departure of more than 1,700 troops to Kuwait, Hawai'i's military community is entering a period of large-scale troop movements to and from the war zone.

About 14,000 Hawai'i troops are scheduled to return from or leave for Iraq and Kuwait this year or early next year.

At Wheeler Army Airfield yesterday, Nancy Ann Farmer welcomed back her husband, Sgt. Robert Farmer, who returned from Iraq with about 150 fellow soldiers from the 25th Transportation Company, 45th Sustainment Brigade.

"It's been really hard not having someone else to depend on to help with the parenting," said Nancy Ann Farmer, who was left caring for daughters Jacquelyn, 5, and Jessica, 15 months, on her own. Jessica "was only a couple weeks old when her father left."

Amid hugs, tears and lei, the soldiers were reunited with their loved ones after their 15-month deployment.

"I'm excited to spend time with the girls," Robert Farmer said, carrying his daughters in his arms. Of Jessica, he said, "We still don't know each other, so I'd really like to get to know her."

Asked what the reunited family would do together first, Nancy Ann Farmer said, "We're going to go home and have daddy's favorite meal": chicken in a mango and pineapple-teri sauce.

The soldiers returned from Al Asad in Al Anbar province, where they completed more than 250 missions and moved 50,000 tons of equipment and supplies to troops at western outposts. Driving heavily armored vehicles, the soldiers traveled more than 750,000 miles.

Across the island at Kane'ohe Bay, 117 Marines and sailors with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment were reunited with their loved ones after completing a seven-month deployment to Iraq. The Marines arrived in advance of the rest of their battalion, which comprises about 1,000 Marines and sailors who will return later this month or in early September.

The arrival of the Marines and sailors at the armory at Marine Corps Base Hawaii set off applause, hoots, band music and tears of joy.

The departure from Iraq by the Marines, whose mission was nation-building, left Iraqis in tears, said Lance Cpl. Michael Thompson, 21.

"When we were leaving there, tribal leaders were crying," Thompson said. "They're pretty emotional about us being over there and they really like us."

It was Thompson's second deployment to Iraq. He said it focused on rebuilding, something he'll soon do with his family, with a baby on the way and a new wife with whom he spent 17 days with before shipping out in February.

The rest of the 2/3, about 1,000 strong, are expected to return later this month. The 1st Battalion 3rd Marines, who deployed the first week of August, is expected to take over some of the duties of the 2/3.

First Lt. Bryceson Tenold, 25, said most likely they'll be doing what he did, live with the police and work with a judge to bring law and order to the town. But the Marines had more of a support role and Iraqis are slowly taking charge of their lives, Tenold said.

Happy to be back in Hawai'i and looking forward to getting married in two weeks to Jenna Johnson, of Spokane, Wash., Tenold said he has some adjustments to make. Like the idea of "driving down the road and not getting blown up or getting shot at," he said.

Still, he said it was a good deployment because all of his men came back and "there was a noticeable change in the city by the time we left as far as the rule of law."

While yesterday marked a joyful homecoming for those Hawai'i troops, many military families are bracing for future deployments.

"It is always in the back of my mind," said Ashlene Gormley, whose boyfriend, Capt. Stephan Epperly, returned from Iraq yesterday. "We'll just have to deal with it when the time comes.

"Right now, I'm very, very excited to have him back. Fifteen months is just way too long."

Paul M. Oliver, commander of the 25th Transportation Company, believes that most military families have learned to cope with troops coming and going.

"There's always a future deployment, there's always a transition. We are still at war," he said. "That's tough on everybody, but our families understand that we have great support in the companies."

A deployment ceremony will take place tomorrow at Aloha Stadium for 1,700 members of the Hawai'i Army National Guard's 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. About 1,200 troops will leave the Islands Tuesday for advanced training in Fort Hood, Texas, where they will be joined by 500 army reserve soldiers from the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry now stationed in California.

The soldiers will depart in late October for Kuwait, where they will provide force protection and convoy security. The soldiers will drive heavily armored "mine-resistant, ambush-protected" vehicles on missions into Iraq, and are expected to reach as far north as Mosul.

That deployment will be followed by even larger departures of Hawai'i troops this fall and winter.

About 4,500 soldiers, part of the 25th Infantry Division headquarters and 3rd Infantry Brigade, are preparing for a year-long deployment to Iraq starting in early fall. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade are training at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.

More than 2,500 soldiers with the aviation brigade are also expected to return to Iraq, while 2,000 soldiers with the 45th Sustainment Brigade will head to Afghanistan early next year.

The Hawai'i Stryker Brigade continues to serve in the Taji and Tarmiya areas north of Baghdad. The 4,000 soldiers, who deployed last November and December, are expected back next year after they've completed 15 months in Iraq.