Pentagon Sending More Troops to Iraq (1,500 82nd Airborne)

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is sending elements of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Iraq to bolster security in advance of Iraq's election, scheduled for late January, an Army official said Wednesday.

In addition, at least two Army brigades now operating in northern Iraq will have their tours extended by about two months, until after the election, the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The decisions were to be announced later Wednesday. Members of two battalions of the 82nd Airborne, and their families, were notified of the decision Tuesday, the official said. The battalions were given what the Army calls a warning order, alerting them that they will be going.

~snip~

Officials have said they were considering sending some elements of the 3rd Infantry to Iraq earlier than scheduled, as part of a force-bolstering plan. It was not clear Wednesday whether that decision had been made, but some officials suggested it was unlikely.



http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/local/crime_courts/10313057.htm


edited to add AP Link:

~snip~

At least two Army brigades now operating in northern Iraq will have their tours extended by about two months, until after the election, an Army official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Also, a unit of about 2,000 Marines will stay longer than planned, though won't exceed the seven-month limit that the Marine Corps places on Iraq deployments, another official said. The Army generally sends its troops to Iraq for 12 months.

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20041201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_military

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Lovely

Good luck, guys, we're praying for you!

[ewagner]

2. On the news, yesterday

A pentagon source said that they expected a request for more troops from the Field Commanders in Iraq "in the next few days".

Looks like it's happening fast.

[maddezmom]

4. yeah, Gen Myers...proves once again is out of the loop

As recently as Tuesday, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said commanders in Iraq were still studying troop requirements ahead of the election. He was quoted by the Pentagon's internal news service as saying in Indianapolis that the number of troops needed was "to be determined."

[Lefta Dissenter]

3. We just had a group of reservists

ship out of Madison, and the claim is that they'll be overseas 'in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom' for 45 days.

I say BULLSHIT!!!
You know there's no way those kids will be back in a month and a half!

[ewagner]

5. One of them is a friend

of the family........actually my son dated her in High School.

We're praying for her....

[Lefta Dissenter]

6. I'm sorry, ewag,

I hope she stays safe. :(

[ewagner]

9. Thank you

She joined so she could get money to go to college....she worked her way through high school...had a rough family life...

DAMN!!!

[rodeodance]

11. i have two friends from madison in that group

Both from a small town outside of Madison, WI.
Lots of rural folk over there!!

[ewagner]

12. We'll pray

or wish for their safety also........

I get soooo pissed about this.

Over the thanksgiving holiday, my son was home from grad school and saw his friend. The night before he went back to school, we sat together in the living room with a couple of beers and talked. He was disturbed by the contrast of his life with that of his friend. Here he is safely in grad school and admittedly hiding from maturity and responsibility and his friend will be in harm's way. To him, it was a sobering comparison. I don't think he'll run out and enlist but the contrast certainly made an impression.

A 22 year old joining thousands of other 22 year olds in a virtual shooting gallery....for....for....

What?

[saigon68]

17. FOR PROFITS FOR HALLIBURTON SHAREHOLDERS

sooner or later these people will realize that when they die their deaths will mean nothing.

And no one except the NeoCon corporate bosses care--- AND THEY ONLY CARE IF THE CORPORATION MAKES MONEY--- and they get to keep a lot of it for themselves.

[Lefta Dissenter]

18. Rodeo,

I'm really sorry. What town are they from?

I just HATE this. Mr. Lefta's nephew enlisted in the Air Force last year... all the Freepers in the family seem to think he's safely tucked away here in the states. Mr. Lefta, who is a vet, had warned him that enlistment promises mean NOTHING these days. And we found out on Thanksgiving that, lo and behold, two of the guys who do the same thing the nephew is training for were just shipped out to Iraq. Surprise, surprise... :eyes:

A couple of my daughter's classmates are in Iraq now, too.

(and do you ride rodeo or are you a two-stepper?)

[ellie]

7. This would be my nephew,

going again. He just got back from Afghanistan too.

[maddezmom]

10. I'm sorry ellie

sending prayers for him and all the others to return safely.

[ellie]

13. Thanks maddezmom

I wish this madness would end.

[Catfight]

14. My nephew will be going in December for the first time, he's 19.

[maddezmom]

22. my nephew is there now

and had been extended. Prayers are with you and him.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Escalation indicates the enemy is getting more desperate by the day

And they are on the run too. And the WMDs are right over there, right Rummy? Yep.

Don

[hatrack]

19. Their back is broken, and they're on the run

A remarkable physical feat, IMHO.

[saigon68]

20. Ya right---- NOT

This is a religous war with out end.

As long as the SHEEP accept the Party Line of the CHIMP and his handlers.

Thousands on both sides will die.

[NNN0LHI]

33. No, really. Thats what they taught us during the 1960's

It wasn't until later when we found out "they" were Dow Chemical, Amoco, and a dandy list of weapons manufacturers. The money being made by these corporations was really remarkable.

Don

[radar]

15. They sure could use some more help...

...On the road between the airport and Baghdad

Embassy sounds alarm over growing dangers in Iraq
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=588095
The world's most expensive and terrifying taxi ride
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1312646,00.html
Bomb Blast Temporarily Closes Baghdad Airport Road
http://www.dod.mil/news/Nov2004/n11272004_2004112701.html
Civilian Convoy Comes Under Attack on Road to Baghdad Airport
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBTPYICA1E.html
Car bomb on Baghdad airport road kills woman, 2 children
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/11/25/MNG78A1GSI1.DTL
Suicide drive down Baghdad's airport road
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=34410

[maddezmom]

16. this article sums the incidents up

Writer Describes Dangerous Iraq Highway
~snip~
The situation on the airport road has become a metaphor for the entire Iraq mission. More than 18 months after the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), the world's most powerful military cannot guarantee the safety of Iraqis, foreigners and its own troops who use one of the country's most important routes.


The four-lane road, much of it lined with scrub brush and palm trees where gunmen can hide, passes through dangerous Baghdad neighborhoods. Insurgents know they can always find plenty of targets — U.S. convoys, Iraqi military vehicles and civilian contractors.


In the latest attack, three people were injured Wednesday when a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device" — the U.S. military term for a car bomb — detonated as several Sport Utility Vehicles, favored by U.S. and other Western security contractors, were passing by.


One of the vehicles lay overturned in the middle of the road as U.S. troops sealed off the area and two helicopters arrived to evacuate casualties. The blast occurred at the same place where a suicide bomber rammed into a U.S. military convoy the day before, wounding several soldiers and destroying two Humvees.

~snip~

lots more before and after the snips:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20041201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_rpg_alley

[jmcgowanjm]

29. Ntice how carbombs/IEDS kill Iraqis, injure US

IRR 120104
Twelve US intelligence operatives killed in three Resistance attacks Wednesday.

An Iraqi Resistance bomb exploded on the Old Road in
Abu Ghurayb at about 9:15am Wednesday, destroying a
2004 Land Cruiser belonging to the US intelligence services
and killing three US intelligence officers.

At about 9:45am Wednesday, Iraqi Resistance forces attacked
a US patrol in the ad-Dawli‘i area of the al-
Hurriyah neighborhood of central Baghdad with RPG7
rockets destroying a GMC car belonging to US intelligence
and killing two persons aboard it.

At 5pm Wednesday evening, Iraqi Resistance forces
detonated bombs under a US patrol in the al-Mushahadah
area north of Baghdad, and then opened fire on the US
troops with RPG7 rockets, destroying two GMC and Land
Cruiser vehicles and killing seven intelligence
officers.

At 1pm Wednesday Iraqi Resistance forces detonated a bomb
in the path of a US armored vehicle in the ad-Duwaylibah
area west of Baghdad, destroying the vehicle and killing five
US troops.

Iraqi Resistance forces firing RPG7 rockets attacked a
US military truck in al-Ishaqi north of Baghdad at
1:15pm Wednesday, killing one US
soldier.

On the highway in the al-‘Amil neighborhood Iraqi
Resistance forces detonated a bomb disabling a US
Bradley armored vehicle at 1:30pm Wednesday, inflicting
no casualties

www.uruknet.info

[jmcgowanjm]

30. Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command

Monday, November 22, 2004

Smith postulated that about an additional brigade's worth
of forces may
be needed but that number hasn't yet been finalized. It's not
the
military's intent to keep troops in Iraq beyond a year, Smith
said. A brigade is usually 2,500 to 3,500 troops.

Senior military commanders told FOX News that they
are considering a
slight increase in combat power in Iraq prior to that
country's
elections at the end of January.

http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/TELECOM_Digest_Online/1692.html

Pentagon officials say Myers is worried that U.S. efforts in
Iraq and in the broader campaign against terrorism could
suffer if world audiences begin to question the honesty
of statements from U.S. commanders and
spokespeople.

"Pretty soon, we're going to have the 5 o'clock follies all
over again, and it will take us another 30 years to restore
our credibility," said a second senior Defense official, referring
to the much-ridiculed daily media briefings in Saigon during
the Vietnam War.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-warinfo1dec01,0,321180.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[maddezmom]

21. list of extensions

Rodriguez listed these unit extensions:


_About 4,400 troops of the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, which is operating in north-central Iraq, will stay until mid-March, instead of departing in early January. Those soldiers' home bases are mostly in Hawaii.


_About 3,500 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, will be extended until March. These are the soldiers who originally were told they would be leaving Iraq in November.


_About 2,300 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Okinawa, Japan and in Hawaii, and California, will stay until mid-March instead of leaving in January.


_About 160 soldiers of the 66th Transportation Company, based in Germany, was due to depart Iraq in early January but instead will stay until early March.

[tabasco]

23. Gee I can't wait till after these elections ..

when everything will be peaceful in Iraq. After the elections, I bet the Iraqis will love America too. I bet they even start converting to Baptists after these elections.

Is there really any doubt that things will remain the same or worse after these sham elections? Is there any doubt that the US puppet will win the election? Are there any anti-US candidates?

I am seriously perplexed why the Bush cabal continues this charade. It's like a liar who is on the verge of being exposed but continues lying out of desperation.

[llmart]

24. The cabal continues this charade......

because the sheeple buy into it or don't give two shits as long as it doesn't affect someone they love. Empathy is in short supply in our country (except for on DU of course).

[Moderator]

25. Kick

:kick:

[JI7]

26. how come Poland doesn't send the troops ?

why doesn't Poland and the other members of our "coalition" help us out ?

also, how come some of those 59 million not help out here and volunteer themselves so those who have already served get a chance to take a break ?

[UpInArms]

27. DoD link: Department of Defense Announces Troop Extensions for Iraq

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2004/nr20041201-1741.html

excerpt:

This approved request adds an additional 1,500 active duty soldiers, and extends approximately 10,400 active duty combat forces, which includes 2,300 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit off of the ESSEX Expeditionary Strike Group. This extension is in conjunction with the current force rotation, and will increase the U. S. forces in theater from 17 to 20 brigades, increasing the force size in Iraq to approximately 150,000 personnel during the election period.

...more at link...

:(

[maddezmom]

28. the post-invasion period has been far costlier in blood and treasure than

As it turns out, the post-invasion period has been far costlier in blood and treasure than almost anyone predicted. When President Bush (news - web sites) declared major combat operations were over May 1, 2003, the United States had about 148,000 troops in Iraq — slightly more than when the war began two months earlier and more than were there when Baghdad fell in early April.


The Pentagon said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved a plan to send 1,500 soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Iraq this month and to extend by 60 days the combat tours of about 10,400 soldiers and Marines in Iraq who were to come home in January.


Most of those whose tours are being extended will serve two months longer than the 12-month tours the Army set as a standard limit to avoid putting too much stress on troops and their families.


The 12,000-troop increase is to last only until March, but it says much about the strength and resiliency of an insurgency that U.S. military planners did not foresee even a year ago, when they were focused on capturing deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).

~snip~

The military normally is reluctant to extend soldiers' combat tours because of the potential negative effect it could have on their families, and thus on their willingness to remain in uniform. In this case, Gen. George Casey, the most senior U.S. commander in Iraq, decided it was necessary to keep up pressure on the insurgents while providing security for the elections.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=2&u=/ap/20041202/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_us_military

[LynnTheDem]

31. Well that's sure a pile of bushit

Even poppa bush years ago predicted an ENORMOUS COST in blood & treasury.

As usual, the US State Stenomedia prints lies to apologize for their bush-god.

[underpants]

32. NBC this morning Some officers found out through the media

not their chain of command. They aren't to happy about that.

[redqueen]

34. I wish Shinseki would show up with a big fat I TOLD YA SO!

Stupid neo-con morans.

:grr:

[VaYallaDawg]

35. Prayers for all from me and family.

So very thankful my own nephew (USMC) returned safe in Nov. following his 2nd deployment over there.

[Moderator]

36. Kick this darn thread

This has been the most duped thread in a long time...probably ten duplicates in two days!!

:kick:

[AwakeAtLast]

37. O.K., here's a kick for ya

I just found out 2 HOURS AGO that my husband will be among those new troops being sent to Iraq. His National Guard unit is on alert, and he is on the list to ship out after the first of the year. Some will go in January, some in February or March. This is after we had great news about his new job (see link)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2140758&mesg_id=2140758

Talk about highs and lows! I have been upset ever since, and I am really worried about how my daughter is going to deal with her father being gone for so long.

I'm at a loss as to how to feel, what to think, what to do. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

:(