For the first time in years, U.S. troops aren’t officially in charge of Iraq’s cities, and local Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans are waiting nervously to see how the withdrawal will pan out.
“I guess you never know until they try,” said Tennessee National Guard Sgt. Randy Cooley, a Cleveland resident who has two Iraq tours under his belt. “When they try, then you can assess how well (Iraqi national forces are) doing and act accordingly, I guess.”
Sgt. Cooley, 48, deployed with the Knoxville-based 278th Regimental Combat Team from 2004 to 2005 and again with the Chattanooga-based 1/181st Field Artillery Battalion from 2007 to 2008. He said he saw progress in the country from one deployment to the next and believes it’s time for a handover — as long as U.S. forces remain as backup in some capacity.
“I believe we’ve done the best we can, and it’s up to the Iraqi people to step up and do their part,” Sgt. Cooley said. “But I don’t think we should pull out altogether. If we pull out completely, then the bad people that seek unrest and discontent can come running in.”
U.S. Department of Defense officials confirmed in a news release Tuesday that a pullout from cities, villages and localities had been completed in accordance with a security agreement signed between the United States and Iraq last year.
More than 150 U.S. bases have been closed or returned to Iraqi government control since January 2008, according to DOD reports. U.S. troop strength has decreased to 131,000 from a high of 165,574 in September 2007.
The United States will continue reducing both the number of its bases and combat forces in 2010 and 2011, according to the defense department. But officials said enough American troops will remain to ensure stability in the country, which the United States first invaded in 2003.
“Some U.S. forces will remain in cities to train, advise and coordinate with Iraqi security forces, as well as support civil capacity efforts led by the U.S. Mission-Iraq, government of Iraq and the United Nations,” said Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general, Multi-National Force Iraq. “All U.S. forces retain full authority and ability to protect themselves, Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi public.”
Blake Knowles, a 25-year-old former Marine reservist in Dalton, Ga., doesn’t necessarily agree with that plan.
Mr. Knowles, who deployed as a lance corporal with the Chattanooga-based “Mike Battery” reserve unit from 2007 to 2008, said it’s wrong to place a timeline on the six-year-old war.
“I don’t think we should always be there,” he said. “But you can’t just say, ‘OK, we have two months, and then this needs to be over’ ... I feel like it could be a lot better than they are now, and if the U.S. isn’t going to follow through, it shows we’re kind of weak.”
Tennessee National Guard Staff Sgt. Joel Blake, 60, of Chattanooga, said he’s just glad that troops will be removed from harm’s way.
“I think we’ve made progress, and what this will do is it’ll just take more American soldiers out of danger,” said Staff Sgt. Blake, who was stationed in Baghdad with the 473rd C-RAM from 2006 to 2007. “I just have to pray it will work.”
Former Tennessee National Guardsman Dewayne Shiver of Ringgold, Ga., worries the violence and unrest will increase without U.S. supervision. If troops are stationed at remote bases rather than more populated areas, there could be some lag time in response to major incidents, he said.
“I believe there could be a backlash because everybody will get comfortable, and then the insurgents can use that to their benefit,” said the former staff sergeant, who was part of the 278th’s 2004 deployment.
Sgt. 1st Class Rick Mullins of Chattanooga, a 51-year-old Guardsman with the Cleveland-based 252nd Military Police Company, is about to deploy to Iraq to try to prevent those problems. Sgt. 1st Class Mullins’ unit is part of the new wave of transition troops set to “mentor” Iraqi forces, and he’ll leave for a yearlong tour at the end of July.
“I’m kind of worried about it in a lot of ways,” Sgt. 1st Class Mullins said of his upcoming tour — his third to Iraq and second during the current conflict.
The urban troop withdrawal is “probably not going to change our mission, but it’s going to make things more tense,” he said. “We’re going to have to be a lot more aware of what we’re doing.”
