Penn State is set to become one of the first stops for veterans returning home from service. More than 15,000 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers and members of the Air Force will be honored at a ceremony at the Bryce Jordan Center next September.

Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center caught the eye of officials at the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs because of its location and size.

"It was chosen because it's centrally located in the state and will be able to hold the capacity of individuals needed," Joan Nissley of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said.

Penn State officials said they are excited to welcome soldiers to campus.

"We're very proud of the hundreds of Penn State students called to duty since Sept. 11," Geoff Rushton, Penn State spokesman, said. "We're happy the state has chosen to honor them and all the guardsmen and that that honor will take place at Penn State."

Following the National Guard's motto of "civilian in peace, soldier in war," the soldiers were called to service following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. A spokesman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said the ceremony will give special recognition to 2,100 members of the National Guard's Second Brigade Combat Team, who are expected to return in July after spending the past year in Iraq.

In Iraq, the Second Brigade has been conducting convoy escorts, patrols and training for Iraqi civil defense forces.

The Second Brigade, which has been called the "Iron Brigade," is the largest single entity to enter combat since World War II.

Army Master Sgt. Stephen Krivitsky said such ceremonies are a normal and important part of military tradition.

"Ceremonies are typically military tradition. You always welcome back soldiers, airmen and Marines who are gone to do the things that their government sends them to do," Krivitsky said.

Krivitsky added that there are many reasons to honor the soldiers with a ceremony.

"They are people in the community that are protecting citizens, and we want to show respect for what they do as a profession," Krivitsky said.

The ceremony also serves as a reminder of the soldiers who cannot be there, becuase they are abroad or because they were lost during combat.

"I'm sure not everybody is coming back. We remember those who gave the utmost sacrifice," Krivitsky said. "We never want to forget."

So far, at least 23 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers have died in combat in Iraq.

The Second Brigade's most recent loss occurred in early January when Lt. Col. Michael McLaughlin was killed by a suicide bomber at an Iraqi police recruiting station in Ramadi.

McLaughlin became the first officer of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to die in action since World War II. The Sept. 10 ceremony will also honor other units who served in Afghanistan, in Europe and at home.

It has not been decided whether or not the ceremony will be open to the public.

"We're still in the early stages and planning all of the details," Nissley said. "Further down the road, we'll know if it will be open to the public."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.