U.S. Plans for Marines to Return to Iraq ( six months between tours)

AP NEWS

November 5, 2003
U.S. Plans for Marines to Return to Iraq
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 4:31 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. troop rotations in Iraq starting early next year will include a return of the Marines who fought in the war's heavy combat phase and left in September, officials said Wednesday.

Since the Marines' departure, the military effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq has fallen almost entirely to the Army, plus multinational units led by Britain and Poland.

The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit recently began anti-smuggling operations in the Persian Gulf coastal area in southern Iraq. But no Marines have been doing stability operations, such as working with Iraqi civilians on rebuilding projects or hunting for fugitives loyal to ousted President Saddam Hussein, since the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force departed south-central Iraq in September.

..more at article. ... ... ..

unit in Iraq ................ to be replaced by ............ date
---------------------------------------------------------------

3rd Infantry Division(-) ... 82nd Airborne Division(-) ... September 2003

1st Marine Division ... Polish Multinational Division ... September/October 2003

2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division ... None ... January 2004

101st Air Assault Division ... Multinational Division ... February/March 2004

1st Armored Division ... 1st Cavalry Division and National Guard Brigade ... February/April 2004

2nd Cavalry Regiment ... Brigade from 1st Cavalry Division ... March/April 2004

3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ... Stryker Brigade ... March/April 2004

4th Infantry Division ... 1st Infantry Division(-) and National Guard Brigade ... March/April 2004

173rd Airborne Brigade ... None ... April 2004


(-) means not full complement of 3 brigades

possibly inacurate and there is almost certainly a better way of doing it:

173rd Airborne Brigade in Kirkuk
82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION(-) in Fallujha
1st Marine Division in south-central Iraq
101st Airborne Division in Mosul, N. Iraq
1st Armored Division in Baghdad
4th Infantry Division in Tikrit

that a National Guard Brigade could be part of the replacement troops for the 1st Armored Division in the nice hotspot Baghdad.

A National Guard Brigade going to Tikrit too.

If I were a family member, either a husband or wife, I sure as hell would not want my spouse to re-enlist.

And knowing all of this -----some of these people re-enlist and then want us to feel sorry for them.

I am sick of this complaining.

If you don't want to be in the war, then get out of the service.(this only applies at the present time to those who, once warned, continue to stick their hands in a running garbage disposal) Sheesh.