Another major milestone in Northern Ireland's return to normality will be reached tomorrow when the last soldiers are pulled out of South Armagh.
The army is closing down its last base in the border region at Bessbrook, it was confirmed today.
At the height of the troubles, Bessbrook boasted the busiest heliport in Europe, but the last flight took place at the weekend.
The pretty 19th century model village, which became home to the military, is also where the last solider to be murdered by the IRA was killed.
Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by a long-distance sniper while operating a security checkpoint in 1997. He was the last of 763 military personnel to die in Northern Ireland.
The withdrawal from Bessbrook is one of the last high-profile events before the army ends its official role of supporting the police in Northern Ireland on July 31.
Operation Banner has been the longest single campaign in British military history, stretching back more than 35 years to the early 1970s.
Where once there were more than 30,000 troops in Northern Ireland, there are currently 5,600 army and RAF personnel and that will reduce to no more than 5,000 by the end of next month.
At one point, there were 104 military bases in the province but there are now less than 20 and that too is set to fall further in the coming weeks.