Iraqis to US troops:"Thank you for removing Saddam. Now get out of here"

[rainbow4321]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_TROOP_MORALE?SITE=TXSAE&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-10-22-16-27-41

As U.S. forces approach a dark milestone of 2,000 American dead since the war began in March 2003, many say morale has remained high, bolstered by the need to protect each other, by concentrating on their daily assigned tasks - and by amenities provided by the military to keep life in a war zone as normal as possible. Some troops just focus on the day's mission and hope for a safe return home - soon.

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"Thank you for removing Saddam. Now get out of here," said Rolling of the 110th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, describing the responses of some villagers to American troops.


Skeptics say morale is propped up because of soldiers' limited access to news - newspapers on many bases throughout the country are sparse, and weary soldiers often head straight to their trailers after missions instead of plodding to check the latest nationwide news at Internet centers.

"We really don't know what is going on in the rest of the country, just here," said Spc. Dainsworth Harris of New York, tapping his table. Harris said he sometimes would learn about major attacks in the country in e-mails from relatives.