The returning soldiers spent much of their final seven-month deployment breaking down the camps and gear accumulated over nearly a decade, doing everything from guarding exit routes to discarding old printers.

WSJ: U.S. Troops Fly Home to Joy, Relief

But NATO has told Yugoslav military leaders that they must get their 40, 000 troops out quickly, using designated assembly areas, retreat routes and exit points, to ensure they are not attacked by NATO or the Kosovo Liberation Army.

CNN: Movement seen on various paths to peace in Kosovo

Fifty Delaware National Guard troops were called up as emergency management officials urged some coastal residents in that state to evacuate, saying flooding would cut off exit routes.

CNN: March 7, 2013 -- Updated 0004 GMT (0804 HKT)