Another milestone in the North's return to normality will be reached today when the last British soldiers are pulled out of south Armagh.
The British army is closing its last base in the Border area at Bessbrook, it was confirmed yesterday.
At the height of the Troubles Bessbrook boasted the busiest heliport in Europe.
The village is also where the last British solider was killed by the IRA.
Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was killed by a sniper while operating a security checkpoint in 1997. He was the last of 763 military personnel to die in the North.
The withdrawal from Bessbrook is one of the last high-profile events before the British army ends its official role of supporting the police in the North on July 31st.
Operation Banner has been the longest 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 the North, there are currently 5,600 army and RAF personnel. That will be reduced to 5,000 by the end of next month.
At one point, there were 104 military bases in the North. There are now less than 20, and that is also set to fall further in the coming weeks.
The Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh, Conor Murphy, welcomed the departure of the soldiers from Bessbrook. The Regional Development Minister in the new powersharing Stormont government said: "This is obviously welcome news for the community of south Armagh, who have had to live under British military occupation for the past 30 years.
"Sinn Féin made the issue of demilitarising communities like south Armagh a central part of the political negotiations. We are happy we have now arrived at this point."