So, the surge of troops is finally in place. They are ready to begin their full operations to secure Baghdad and other areas, of which only a handful are troublesome. The Democrats are ready to call for surrender, excuse me, phased redeployment to protect the wildlife in Antarctica. Yet
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq, July 10, 2007 — This past spring, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, along with their Iraqi counterparts, started clearing one of the neighborhoods in eastern Baghdad. It was, at first, a routine mission in the Fadhl area, but soon turned into a bloody firefight that lasted five hours, and resulted in 14 wounded U.S. troops and scores of unknown enemy dead and wounded.
The Fadhl area is one of the oldest and poorest neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital, with 300-year-old buildings still in use today. The narrow, twisting roads can be used as lookout points by insurgents to spot approaching vehicles or people, and were a breeding ground for snipers and militia activity.
But that was then. Just a few months later, soldiers from the 1st “Red Devil†Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C., operating in eastern Baghdad as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, drove into the heart of Fadhl, July 5, 2007, delivering truckloads of food rations, medical supplies and water to the residents.
Soon after the April firefight, leaders from the Iraqi Army’s 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, called a meeting with Fadhl leaders, according to Maj. Mike Pratt, Red Devil’s operations officer.
Attitudes changed quickly among Fadhl residents after witnessing the changes in the nearby neighborhood of Ahdamiyah. That area had also been in disarray, but once residents began working with coalition and Iraqi forces, big changes took place. Violence dropped. Electrical power increased. Essential services returned.
The people responded. And things are now calm and trusting in the area. Iraqi’s are now in positive mode, ready for a good life. If only the Democrats would give them the opportunity.
Surrender – To relinquish possession or control of to another as result of demand or compulsion… to give up in favor of another… to abandon… to resign! IF the Korean War and Vietnam Wars were fought to a draw… will Operation Iraqi Freedom follow? – 1952, 1973 and 2007?