The end is neigh…..

“British troops have ended six years of combat operations in Iraq, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Thursday, praising his military’s accomplishments and sacrifices in a mission that was not popular at home.

Brown spoke after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at Brown’s Downing Street office in London.

Today marks the closing chapter of the combat mission in Iraq,’ Brown said.  ‘The flag of 20 Armoured Brigade will be lowered as British combat patrols in Basra come to an end and our armed forces prepare to draw down.’

Since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, 179 British service personnel have been killed in Iraq. In the southern city of Basra, the British military held a ceremony to honor those who died during the war.”

[source: armytimes.com]

Timeline:  British forces in Iraq

2003

20 March: Royal Marines launch an amphibious assault on the al-Faw peninsula in southern Iraq as the US-led invasion begins. The UK’s commitment to the campaign peaks at 46,000 troops in March and April.
6 April: British forces enter Basra, Iraq’s second city.
9 April: Helped by American troops, cheering Iraqis pull down a statue of newly-deposed dictator Saddam Hussein in a square in central Baghdad.
1 May: Standing on an aircraft carrier underneath a banner reading “Mission Accomplished”, then-US president George Bush declares that major combat operations in Iraq have ended. By the end of the month, the UK’s military involvement has been cut to around 18,000 troops.
23 June: Six British soldiers with the Royal Military Police involved in training Iraqi police officers are killed by an angry mob near the southern city of Al Amara in Maysan province.
14-16 September: Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist in Basra, is beaten to death while in the custody of British soldiers from the former Queen’s Lancashire Regiment.
13 December: US forces arrest Saddam Hussein in a hiding place near his hometown of Tikrit.

2004

May: The number of UK military personnel in Iraq drops to 8,600.
30 September: Responsibility for Iraq’s territorial waters is transferred to the Iraqi Coastal Defence Force, which later becomes the Iraqi Navy.

Read the full story

Four soldiers navigate the difficult path to recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI), the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

…and 4,594 coalition military deaths.

Iraq’s government has recorded 87,215 of its citizens killed since 2005 in violence ranging from catastrophic bombings to execution-style slayings, according to government statistics obtained by The Associated Press that break open one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war.

Combined with tallies based on hospital sources and media reports since the beginning of the war and an in-depth review of available evidence by The Associated Press, the figures show that more than 110,600 Iraqis have died in violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

[source: Military.com]

CNN reporting (yet again) on the story that just won’t quit.  And rightfully so!

This time the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking notice of the health concerns caused by the Balad, Iraq “burn pit”:

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will study the effects of toxic emissions from burning trash at military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan on veterans, even after the Department of Defense has concluded no long-term effects exist.

[...]

Shinseki said the Department of Veterans Affairs will study the problem as part of an effort to analyze effects of troops’ exposures in general and suggested it might even seek a parallel independent study.

“We are currently evaluating the need for an independent assessment by nongovernmental scientific experts to help us understand the health effects of various combat exposures,” Shinseki wrote.

Sources familiar with the plan said the VA is finalizing a deal with the government’s Institute of Medicine to conduct the study. The IOM did a similar investigation of Gulf War Syndrome and other effects from the first Iraq war.

The emissions, from what are known as burn pits, have been a concern for troops, especially those who served at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq. Many soldiers who went through Balad became used to “Iraqi crud,” as they dubbed the symptom of excessive coughing and black phlegm.

Soldiers complained of respiratory problems and skin infections, and in some cases believed they developed leukemia and tumors from the exposure.

The pits at Balad were at one point open and burning everything from plastics and food to medical waste, sometimes with jet fuel used as an accelerant. In later years, incinerators were installed at Balad, but other bases in Iraq and Afghanistan still use the pits without incinerators to burn garbage.

The military said last year that smoke from the Balad pit exposed troops to toxic emissions, including low levels of cancer-causing dioxins. However, its tests indicated there is no long-term danger, officials said.

The military says the “Iraqi crud” is not harmeful.  The soldiers say otherwise.  I have a feeling the VA will have the final word on it.

I think I took an interest in the following report because I was stationed on the U.S. military’s largest logistical base in Iraq during my deployment.  The base was a well oiled machine of supplies, troops, and equipment.  If the U.S. military knows how to do one thing, it’s logistics.  Moving equipment fast and with efficiency.

Logistics is something most people consider a secondary concern for a military but in reality, the supply corp is the heart of any military.  I was honestly a little shocked, when reading about the Iraqi logistical problem.  I assumed this would be a top priority of the coalition forces when prepping the Iraqi military to stand on it’s own two feet.

Apparently, we’re leaving this challenge for the Iraqis to figure out for themselves:

There was the time the Iraqis spent millions of dollars on ammunition from Romania, only to discover that it was defective or didn’t fit their U.S.- or Russian-made weapons. Or when the Iraqis bought portable kitchens which didn’t work in the field.

[...]

“They are at the basic level. They can feed themselves. They can fuel themselves. They can arm themselves,” said Australian Brig. Gen. David McGahey, who heads the U.S.-led task force aimed at helping the Iraqi armed forces fend for themselves after the eventual pull out.

But “giant gaps” remain in the Iraqi supply system, particularly a shortage of mechanics for vehicle maintenance and repairs, that may take “years and years” to close, he added.

Other challenges, commanders say, is a lack of modern technology to track parts and services. Iraq uses an antiquated paperwork system.

[...]

The Iraqis had long depended on American logistics and supplies as their main lifeline in the fight against militants and their own struggles to rebuild.

Since late last year, however, the U.S. has stopped fueling and feeding the Iraqis.

“We are not giving them parts. We are not giving them fuel. We are not fixing it for them,” said Army Col. Ed Dorman, who works on logistics and supply for Multi-National Corps Iraq.

And a larger problem besides an antiquated record keeping system and shortages in technical repairmen is the corruption:

The Iraqi army pays its brigade commanders a weekly cash stipend to feed troops. The U.S. military has praised the program for putting money back into Iraqi communities.

But reports have surfaced of some commanders putting dozens of soldiers on leave every week to pocket unspent money.

“They get the same amount of money if they have 25 people there or 50 people there,” said the military official.

Please read the complete article here.

Adam Levine of CNN has posted a new article concerning the Balad burn pit.  Concern of the effects of the contaminated air in Balad, Iraq has hit the desks of Congress as the medical problems of the veterans and civilians who were stationed in Balad, Iraq and exposed to the toxic emissions simply won’t go away:

Concerns about the effects of toxins emitted from burning trash at military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan have members of Congress demanding more tests and research.

The members of Congress want information from the military to see if there is statistical validity to complaints about illness and disease suffered by troops who served in those countries.

The Balad burn pit circa 2006

The emissions, from what are known as “burn pits,” have been a concern for troops, especially those who served at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq.

Many of the soldiers who went through Balad since the beginning of the war became used to “Iraqi crud,” as they dubbed the symptom of excessive coughing and black phlegm. Soldiers complained of respiratory problems and skin infections, and in some cases believe they developed leukemia and tumors from the exposure.

Here are some comments from Patriot Missive readers who have been exposed to the burn pit during their military deployments:

I was a civilian contractor assigned to Balad AB in 2005/2006. My office was near the pit. I remember inhaling the fumes daily and the concern of their effects on my health. The base was often clouded by the smoke from the pit. The pit was located right beside the main road which “Circled” the base.

I saw plastics and much more being burned in the pit. Large black birds would hover over the pits in search of food items or whatever was edible and didn’t burn. I would always attempt to hold my breath as I passed the pit even though the speed limit was around 10 mph on the base. Not a pleasant memory.

My husband as in iraq he was near the burning pit he was there from 2006-2007 my husband didnt have bronchitis before he has been very sick since he came back. I see my husband suffer with this medical condition every day he gets sick very offen im worried about him

Do you have concerns that you’ve been exposed to toxic chemicals while deployed to Iraq? Leave a comment.

This is just a reminder…..

And where are we now?

[AP]  A gym, barber shop and planters of plastic flowers:  Welcome to the gentler face of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

The lockup where U.S. military guards tortured and humiliated Iraqi prisoners west of Baghdad has reopened with fresh paint and a new name in a bid to shed its notorious reputation.

[...]

Judicial authorities showed off the nearly $1 million renovated section Saturday that included a sewing room, exercise equipment, computers, a library, outdoor recreational areas and a barber shop. Plastic flowers lined the halls. Iraqi officials said they expect the rest of the prison renovations to be done by the end of the year.

Greenhouses stood in the field outside where once tents were erected to house the overflow from prisoners when Abu Ghraib was controlled by the U.S. military. No U.S. soldiers were on the premises Saturday.

Let’s take a peek at the new digs, shall we?

We wanted to bring democracy to Iraq and we’ve done so.  Sadly, we’ve brought much of our own democratic failings as a society of voters with us.

Just over half of Iraq’s 15 million registered voters cast ballots in weekend provincial elections, with turnout as low as 40% in at least one province, but Iraqi and international officials insisted Sunday that they were satisfied with the participation.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker characterized the turnout as “large” and Iraq’s top election official called it “the most important election to take place since the fall” of Saddam Hussein. However, turnout failed to reach the 73% predicted by a recent government poll of 4,570 Iraqis.

What accounts for the low turn out?

• Distrust of the Candidates
• Confusion over redistricting
• Lack of feeling that each vote really counts

Sound familiar?  It should, it’s the reason our country usually gives for low voter turn out.  So, I guess we’ve done well in bringing some of our values over to Iraq.  But that’s alright, on the plus side, it was viewed as a safe and secure day of voting, not to mention that there were very few complaints of fraud committed during the voting process.

So it’s not all bad news.  If anything, it’s more like indifferent news.  So, yay for that.

Happy American Pig-Skin Day!

Drink on, young soldiers, drink on…..

The top U.S. commander in Iraq issued a waiver Wednesday that will allow American troops in the country to drink beer during the Super Bowl, a departure from the military’s strict prohibition of alcohol. Servicemen and women will be allowed “two 12-ounce beers” each before and during the game, which will kick off at 2:00 a.m. in Baghdad.

Steelers by 10.

President Obama has said throughout his campaign that he wanted ALL U.S. troops put of Iraq within 16 months of his inauguration.

Lately, he’s been open to suggestions.

Here is the top U.S. commander in Iraq’s alternative:

[NYT]  -  “I believe that if we can get through the next year peacefully, with incidents about what they are today or better, I think we’re getting close to enduring stability, which enables us to really reduce,” General Odierno said as he inspected a polling center south of Baghdad in advance of provincial elections on Saturday.

General Odierno said the period between this weekend’s elections and the national elections to be held about a year from now would be critical to determining the future of Iraq. While some American forces could be withdrawn before then, he suggested that the bulk of any pullout would probably come after that.

“We are going to reduce forces this year,” the general said. “It’s the right time to reduce our forces here. I believe that Iraqis are making progress. It’s time for us in some places to step back and give them more control.” He added, “What we want to do is to slowly shift our mission from one that’s focused on counterinsurgency to one that’s more focused on stability operations.”

In a nut shell, withdraw 2 brigades this year and slowly withdraw remaining brigades after 2010 which could take several more years??

All indications say that Obama is seriously considering this alternative.

hmmm….   My opinion?  We’re wasting money, resources, and lives in a war that should have been declared over months ago.  Obama has it right with the 16 month time-frame.  But I suspect that after all of his security briefings which he is now privy to as the President, Obama may move at a “slower withdraw” pace as is being suggested to him here.