Last combat troops leave Iraq!

[Jennasis]

The Today Show announced it this morning. I just wanted to say "Thank you" to all the troops and their families for the sacrifice they've all made, and wish the men and women overseas a speedy trip home!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Let me tell you right now this is BULL...My husband just got orders yesterday(the same day as his father's wake so I'm a little bitter) to go to Iraq in May...Just shows you exactly what they want you to think.

 

[Jennasis]

Is he infantry? I was under the impression that they were taking the combat troops out but leaving some others (I thought they said 50,000) behind.

 

[Belle0101]

I don't think you can 100% believe the media. Sometimes you have to listen for what they aren't saying.

I watched a different station this morning and it was reported that the first of the last combat troops were leaving. As in they're leaving in waves. Eventually all of the combat personel will be sent home but the first of the group are leaving, followed by another group, etc. They didn't give a date as to when the very last of the group will be home.

They did also report that other personel will still be in Iraq. The distinction being they are not part of the combat personel.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

No he is not ina combat MOS. I have also been watching the news coverage and IMHO they are trying to make is seem like we are fully leaving. By saying they are leaving some also makes it sound like they are slowly removing everyone, not sending more.(Granted my husband is going to remove some structures built there)

I am just super bitter right now and have had family and friends calling me since yesterday all like, "YAY! Now your husband doesn't have to go Iraq!" Yeah okay...and if he wasn't going there it would be Afghanastan...I would WAY rather have him in Iraq anyday. But I am super worried without the secuirty as strong that there will be a scary uprising.

But I am sorry if my first post sounded mean or witchy...Just a really bad week.

 

[Sanchez]

What about the remaining 50,000 troops? Are they combat troops? Do we have any troops that are not combat troops? Sounds like we are just calling the remaining troops something other than combat troops.

By the end of this month, the United States will have six brigades in Iraq, by far its smallest footprint since the 2003 invasion. Those that remain are conventional combat brigades reconfigured slightly and rebranded "advise and assist brigades." The primary mission of those units and the roughly 4,500 U.S. special operations forces that will stay behind will be to train Iraqi troops. Under a bilateral agreement, all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

I guess if we "rebrand" them they suddenly are not combat troops. It must be magic.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

What about the remaining 50,000 troops? Are they combat troops? Do we have any troops that are not combat troops? Sounds like we are just calling the remaining troops something other than combat troops.



I guess if we "rebrand" them they suddenly are not combat troops. It must be magic.

They are referring to "combat MOS's" like infantry....Not engineers or chems or intelligence

 

[Imzadi]

It's 56,000 troops left. While they are not known as "combat troops" they have all the skills & training to turn into combat troops if/when necessary.

 

[okeydokey]

All along it has been reported that the last COMBAT troops have left but 50,000 remain in a non combat mission. I got the story.

 

[Anjelica]

My brother's old unit is still in Mosul and they ARE a combat unit. They don't have plans to leave till December/January - 1 full year after they got there.

It's kind of bittersweet for my family. My brother lost his right leg in Iraq a couple of years ago and how I so wish he was over there to be with his buddies.

Things have changed DRASTICALLY in just the two years since he has been there. Getting our troops out of the forefront of this fight is a very good thing and has actually been occuring this past year. Everyday my brothers unit was out of the FOB when he was there and now they barely leave the base, if at all.

 

[Jennasis]

Gee willikers. Everyone's in a twist. I DID say it was COMBAT troops, not ALL troops.I did say there were still troops left. Here's the associated press article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100819/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_americans_head_home

It has to start somewhere folks. Seems to me that this is a good thing. I'm glad the process is well under way and I thank those men and women for their service and sacrifice.

 

[Sanchez]

Gee willikers. Everyone's in a twist. I DID say it was COMBAT troops, not ALL troops.I did say there were still troops left. Here's the associated press article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100819/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_americans_head_home

It has to start somewhere folks. Seems to me that this is a good thing. I'm glad the process is well under way and I thank those men and women for their service and sacrifice.

I think the point (at least my point) is that there still are combat troops in Iraq. Whatever their mission and whatever they are called, they are still combat troops and claims to the contrary are misleading at best.

I agree with you that this is a good thing from a big picture standpoint.

 

[Anjelica]

I think the point (at least my point) is that there still are combat troops in Iraq. Whatever their mission and whatever they are called, they are still combat troops and claims to the contrary are misleading at best.

I agree with you that this is a good thing from a big picture standpoint.

I agree with you that there are definetly soldiers in Iraq that are still combat troops. I think the press releases about this are somewhat misleading.

There ARE soldiers in Iraq through at least end of the year who's MOS (speciality) ARE combat Engineers, etc. so there are still combat designated soldiers there. If the Iraqi's call for backup, etc. and support these combat folks will still be helping with the fight (not leading it).

 

[lovemygoofy]

I"m a little late to your conversation. I hope it's okay to bring this back up.


While the obvious big gun combat units are leaving for example the strykers that was seen on tv, there are still military left there. The military left are not in an obvious combat situation as in door to door fighting or whatever.

These military members still there are doing alot of logistics(think bringing home equipment, tearing down structures and overseeing buried bombs) and training of Iraqi military, police and gov't workers. The military members still there do have weapons and back up security though not nearly as handy as when there was all the big machinery there.

One thing most people don't recognize though is even with the draw down of military support we are still putting more and more US gov't civilian employees in harms way there. I'm extremely worried about these employees without the back up of military to keep them safe or out of potential situations.

I bawled like a baby this morning watching the strykers coming out of Iraq. All I could sit and think was that seven years ago I was sitting on a couch as a newlywed seeing my husband's uit flying over the sands straight into combat and knowing our life would forever be changed. It was nice to see the reverse of the soldiers coming out of Iraq into Kuwait and having the celebrations.

 

[bettymae1121]

I do think the headline is a bit misleading, all troops are "combat troops" at the end of the day, they can all fight if/when needed to.

That said, at the peak of the surge there were something like 170,000 troops in Iraq in '07, now we are down to 56,000 and falling only 3 years later. That's extremely good progress no matter how you look at it. It's good for us and good for Iraq, too.

 

[Mickey527]

deleted, tried hard to not be political but it kept going that way.
My son is in the Marines and so far he hasn't been sent anywhere and I pray every day that he will stay in the USA. I also pray for those families who have to deal with being shipped overseas.
I hope soon all the US involvement will cease.