JAMESTOWN (AP) - Now that Spc. Ryan Lindberg is home from Iraq, he plans on soaking up sun rays and hunting with his dogs.

"It's good being back in a place that's safe," he said.

Lindberg, 20, who served in the North Dakota National Guard 817th Engineer Company (Sapper) unit, returned home June 7, after a year of active duty. He has been hanging out at his cabin with his friend and fellow soldier, Spc. Jordan Nygaard, who also served in the 817th.

One hundred and four members of the 817th were sent to Iraq in August 2007, after about two months of training in Fort McCoy, Wis. For 64 of them, this tour of Iraq was their second.

Reintegration has consisted mostly of taking it easy and helping his dad with the family's business, Northern Excavating Co., Lindberg said, until he returns to North Dakota State University in August.

About 25 percent of all recently deployed troops experience issues with nightmares or sleep disturbances, said Warren Tobin, the Stutsman County veterans service officer. Some may also experience nervousness, anxiety or flashbacks, Tobin said.

Even after being home for about two months, Lindberg said he's still jumpy. In Iraq, soldiers got used to working in a combat zone, he said.

"You always had to be looking, watching your back and the person next to you," Lindberg said.

Some soldiers also may experience ringing in their ears or pains in their back, ankles or knees, Tobin said.

Most soldiers had about 30 days of leave to use after returning home to give them some time off before going back to their jobs, Tobin said.

Staff Sgt. Sheldon Mohr returned to his position as fire inspection officer at the Jamestown Fire Department on July 16. On Aug. 1, he'll be promoted to the department's training officer.

For Mohr, who returned from Iraq for the second time, reintegration hasn't been too difficult. He's changed, he said, but everyone changes, not just war veterans.

"I believe you change with age, regardless," Mohr said.

Mohr said he kept up with happenings at home by calling, instant messaging and e-mail his wife, son and co-workers.

Some veterans won't recognize problems with their health, jobs, families or friends right away, said 1st Lt. Rachael Walters, a reintegration and suicide prevention officer and sexual assault response coordinator for the North Dakota National Guard.

For some, it can take up to five years because some of the feelings experienced during deployment weren't dealt with initially.

"It's a continual process and that's OK," Walters said.

The reintegration process begins with a 30-day drill starting Aug. 16, followed by drills at the 60- and 90-day mark.

The drills provide counseling sessions as well as employment and education assistance, relationship advice and other activities for families to enjoy.

"The process is as much for the soldier as it is for the family," Walters said.

Right now, many members of the 817th are likely just happy to be home, she said, but they should seek help if they need it.

"It does not say that you are less of a soldier," she said.

In addition to problems with mental or physical health, members of the 817th might have problems with employers, she said. The unit just got back from a rewarding and demanding job to return to the corporate world where making copies and sending faxes may not cut it anymore, she said.

"When you go back to a job where you're handing out mail or flipping burgers or driving trucks, it can be really frustrating," she said.

Soldiers returning to school may have an even more difficult road ahead of them, Walters said, because after missing a year, few their classmates have the same life experiences.

The demanding work and added stress can lead to such risky behaviors as alcohol and drug abuse, picking fights, road rage and even suicide, Walters said .

If they ask for help, she said, "we will do our very best to find it for them."