Vice President Joe Biden told members of the Army's 18th Airborne Corps this morning that their work in Iraq has helped give the government there a "fighting chance" to survive.

Biden helped welcome several hundred members of the unit home from Iraq in a ceremony on the 82nd Airborne Division's main parade field at Fort Bragg. The ceremony, more elaborate than most for returning troops, was attended by about 1,700 people.

"Because of all the work you've done, I am absolutely confident that the Iraqis are in a much better position to take responsibility for their own security," Biden told the soldiers. "You did more than I suspect you even know."

Biden, accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden, is making his second visit to North Carolina this month.

Last week, he accompanied U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Faison and Pikeville in Eastern North Carolina to discuss how the stimulus package would help rural America.

Vice President Joe Biden will return to North Carolina Wednesday to welcome home troops from Iraq.

Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill Biden, will speak at a welcome home ceremony at Fort Bragg for the XVIII Airborne Corps back which is returning from Iraq, Rob Christensen reports.

This is the unit's second deployment to Iraq.

His visit will come week after Biden, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, visited Faison and Pikeville in Eastern North Carolina to discuss how the stimulus package would help rural America.

Back in February, President Obama traveled to Camp Lejuene to announce administration plans to gradually withdraw combat troops from Iraq. Now Biden is welcoming some of those troops home.

Here's a mostly complete list of Barack Obama's surrogates in North Carolina for the general election:

Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife Jill; Michelle Obama; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, former Govs. Jim Hunt and Ray Mabus; former Sen. Bill Bradley; former Sen. Jean Carnahan; U.S. Reps. Bob Etheridge, David Price, Brad Miller, G.K. Butterfield and Jim Cooper; Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee; Secretary of State Elaine Marshall; former Agriculture Commissioner Britt Cobb; state Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand; state Rep. Dan Blue; retired Gen. Wesley Clark; Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Lambert; Maj. Gen. Scott Gration; professor Sarah Sewall; veterans Paul Bucha, John McCary and Jon Kuniholm; musicians James Taylor, Jay-Z and Tift Merritt; actresses Alfre Woodard, Jurnee Smollett, Tatyana Ali, Ellen Pompeo, Danielle Panabaker and Edie Falco; members of the cast of "The Wire"; actors Kal Penn and Harold Perrineau; comedian Chris Rock, and Nascar driver Junior Johnson. The daughter of Jackie Robinson was scheduled to come but did not make it.

Previously: Obama's surrogates in the primary.