Iraq War News

Spc. William Sturges

7/15/2003

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Marne Soldiers Will Be Home by September, DoD Official Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2003 - Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division will be home "by September," DoD officials said.

The 3rd Brigade of the Rock of the Marne division is already on its way back to Fort Benning, Ga., Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said today.

For the unit's remainder, the intention is still to have them back to their Fort Stewart, Ga., home station by the fall. "Right now, the thinking remains that this division will be coming home by September," Di Rita said.

Details of the redeployment of the division are being worked through, he said. He said that U.S. Central Command chief Army Gen. John Abizaid "still believes that ... the general timeline to have people home by September makes sense."

Di Rita said no one can give specific dates for the return of specific division units. Central Command and service officials are working hard to devise a fair rotation policy that will give CENTCOM the necessary number of troops and not overextend the military contingent.

Di Rita said the number of coalition troops in Iraq should remain constant - at about 160,000. The number of U.S. troops in Iraq now is around 145,000, said DoD officials. That number may rise or fall depending on the situation on the ground, they said.

If operations pick up and there are more attacks on U.S. forces, then the number may increase. But if coalition countries come through with more troops - two coalition divisions are expected in August and September - or more power can be turned over to Iraqi officials, then the number of U.S. troops required in the country may drop.

Di Rita said 19 countries have forces on the ground in Iraq and the United States is talking with 19 others to provide forces. He stressed that these numbers will change.

Di Rita said that there is some uncertainty and that the 3rd Infantry Division's commander Maj. Gen. Buford Blount does not want expectations in the division and for families back home to "get too elevated beyond the broad point, which is we'll have these folks home by the fall." Di Rita said DoD, the Army and the division will do everything possible to keep the families informed.

Di Rita also noted Marine forces will probably stay in Iraq in some capacity. There are currently 24,000 Marines in the country, Marine Corps officials said. Gen. Michael W. Hagee, Marine Corps commandant, said in congressional testimony he expected the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to leave the country in September. Officials would not comment on whether other Marine units might replace that unit.

Di Rita said commanders are also thinking of rest and relaxation areas for the troops. "I know that the commanders feel strongly that it's important ... to keep their eyes closely on quality of life for the troops in Iraq, and R&R is an element of quality of life," he said.

The redeploying brigade has several units already moved to Kuwait. These include the 3rd Brigade Combat Team; Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Division Artillery; 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery; Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 4th Bde. (Aviation); 1st Bn., 3rd Aviation; Co. K, 159th Aviation; Co. D, 1st Bn., 58th Aviation; 11th Engineer Bn.; and 92nd Chemical Co.

posted by Patti @ 1:45 PM |

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

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NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 510-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 15, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four soldiers who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpt. Paul J. Cassidy, 36, of Laingsburg, Mich., died July 13 in Camp Babylon, Iraq.
Cassidy died as a result of non-combat injuries. This incident is under
investigation. Cassidy was assigned to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Wis.

Sgt. Michael T. Crockett, 27, of Soperton, Ga., was killed on July 14 in Baghdad,
Iraq. Crockett was on patrol when he came under RPG attack. Crockett was assigned to
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, Fort
Stewart, Ga.

Spc. Joshua M. Neusche, 20, of Montreal, Mo., died July 12 in Homburg Hospital,
Germany. Neusche died from a non-combat cause. Neusche was assigned to the 203rd
Engineer Battalion, in Joplin, Mo.

Spc. Christian C. Schulz, 20, of Colleyville, Texas, died July 11 in Baqubah, Iraq.
Schulz died as a result of non-combat injuries. This incident is under
investigation. Schulz was assigned to the 3rd Troop, 67th Armor Battalion, Fort
Hood, Texas.

[Web Version: http://www.dod.mil/releases/2003/nr20030715-0196.html]

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posted by Patti @ 1:14 PM |

3-7 Infantry Attack

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A U.S. Army soldier, whose Fort Stewart, Georgia-based 3-7 Infantry Attack company had been told that their deployment was to be extended indefinitely, awaits the visit of the Third Infantry Division's commander Major General Buford Blount to their base in the Iraqi resort area of Habbaniyah, 60 miles west of the capital Baghdad, July 15, 2003. Facing mounting security threats in Iraq (news - web sites), the U.S. military said on Monday thousands of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) would stay in the country despite previous plans to send them home in July and August. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

posted by Patti @ 12:56 PM |

Yahoo! News Photos - Iraq

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Children walk through piles of anti-aircraft guns Tuesday July 15, 2003, inside a military base which were destroyed during coalition bombing of Iraq (news - web sites)'s military facilities including this one in the Diala neighborhood north of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Samir Mezban)

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·	U.S.: Iraq Will Rule on Coalition Forces AP - 2 hours, 51 minutes ago

Related Resources: Special Coverage: Iraq

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Iraq war blog updates
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US warns of 'deadly summer' in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)

Army reservist from Maine killed by angry crowd in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)

The Role of Money in the 2002 US Congressional Elections (15 July 03) in Radio Free USA

Wish you weren't here (14 July 03) in Radio Free USA

Iraq Democracy Watch: "Exit strategy?
Now that there is a Governing Council in Iraq, we may be able to discern the beginnings of an exit strategy for the U.S. -- planned, or not. The Financial Times today reports that, "The United Nations announced ... it was sending a team of experts next month to pave the way for eventual elections in Iraq..."
Apparently, UN officials think that nation-wide elections could take place as early as 2004, given the country's literacy rate and "centralized administration" -- assuming, of course, adequate security and real peace.
"UN officials said the team would visit Iraq early next month to lay the groundwork for a population census, voter registration, and a new electoral law." We seem to be handing over some responsibilities in that arena.
If you combine this piece of news with the desire of the new Governing Council to take full advantage of whatever autonomy it may have, we could be seeing the political groundwork being laid for nudging the coalition forces out.
There's that tiny issue of peace and security, though.
According to the Guardian , Paul Bremer "has accepted that the council will be in charge of rebuilding Iraq's armed forces and police." And the NYT says that he's already asked for advice from the Council on training police officers, re-integrating the dissolved army, and setting up a court for war crimes prosecutions.
But the Guardian article points out that the Council has a range of opinions about how to handle security -- from managing a gradual transition from American to Iraqi forces, to bringing in UN peacekeepers pronto and asking the Coalition to leave.
It seems as though we would be more than happy to pull our troops out ASAP; we had assumed we could do that when we "planned" post-war operations. What we want, of course, is control over significant economic decisions. When asked about the Council's role in such decisions, Mr. Bremer sounds most Clintonian:

... Mr. Bremer suggested that the occupation powers would still direct the rebuilding of Iraq.
Asked whether the Council would have the authority to sign contracts and make decisions about privatizing state corporations, Mr. Bremer responded, "The coalition made it very clear in its discussions yesterday with the Governing Council that we consider that the coalition has very broad authorities to determine the direction of the Iraqi economy." [Non-answer #1]
Foreign investment in Iraq, Mr. Bremer added, "is an issue on which the Governing Council will obviously want to give its advice, and we intend to listen very carefully to whatever the Governing Council has to say." [Listening is easy.]

Don't forget the quote from yesterday's posting, regarding who the US administration really thinks is in charge with regard to decisions about oil revenues."

Conflict on Iraq-Syria Border feeds rage against the US (15 July 03) in Radio Free USA

Iraqi Council to Begin Form Cabinet Soon: "Iraq's first postwar national political body will begin forming a Cabinet next week, a spokesman for one groups on the council said Tuesday, scoffing at criticism that it won't have serious authority. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Turkish-U.S. Statement Regrets Iraq Dispute: "The U.S. and Turkish military onTuesday expressed regret at a bitter dispute between the NATOallies over the arrest of Turkish commandos by U.S. troops inIraq and pledged to work closer together in future. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Turkey, US agree on Iraq measures to "restore confidence": "Turkey and the United States said they had agreed on measures to improve cooperation in Kurdish-held northern Iraq in order to "restore confidence" following a diplomatic spat over the US arrest of 11 Turkish soldiers in the region. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

NOT A 'QUAGMIRE' - BUT A TRIUMPH: " (New York Post)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Five Months Before Being Killed in Iraq a U.S. Marine Speaks Out for Peace: "Weeks before he was killed in Iraq, a U.S. marine spoke out anonymously against the war and in support of the peace movement. Having learned of his death Democracy Now! has made segments of his interview available. To listen to his passionate and articulate opposition to the war and further his opinon of the U.S. ability to "liberate" the Iraqi people, please listen."

In Electronic Iraq

posted by Patti @ 6:39 AM |

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