End finally in sight as Iraq War enters sixth year
Kristin Good/MCTToday marks the sixth anniversary of one of the United States' longest wars.
About 146,000 troops are still stationed in Iraq and President Barack Obama has vowed to reduce that number by half before the war's eighth year.
In February, Obama officially announced plans for a combat troop withdrawal from Iraq, and a repositioning of some of those forces to the United States' other Middle East battleground, Afghanistan.
Obama's plan is to remove about 100,000 combat troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, with the longer-term goal of ending the conflict completely by 2011.
Lt. Col. Aaron Kalloch, professor of military science and chair of Central Michigan University's Military Science Department, spent two tours of duty in Iraq. His last deployment ended in June 2007.
"If you would have told me this in 2004, I would have said you were crazy," Kalloch said. "It was fairly chaotic at that time."
But during the troop surge in 2007, when Kalloch was serving his second tour, he said there was a clear shift of power from Americans to Iraqis in the beginning.
"Seeing the progress of the Iraqi soldiers, the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police, it is not perfect, but the bottom line is it was improving dramatically on a day-by-day basis," he said. "You could really see results were happening in the city of Baghdad."
Assistant professor of military science and Battalion Operations Officer, Capt. William Humes, served one tour of duty in Iraq, a deployment that ended in December 2008. He said Obama's plan seems responsible.
"Things were so stable, at least in our little sector," Humes said. "It just seemed like, 'it's time to go.' You could sense more confidence in the conduct of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. They're making some huge strides."
However, despite advances in the Iraqi government, Humes said some progress could backtrack once American troops leave the country.
"You're always going to wonder if the insurgents finally got smart enough to say 'if we just pause for a bit the Americans will leave,'" Humes said. "Or, is it actually sustained peace?"
Justin Hoffman, an E-5 sergeant in the Army and veteran of the Iraq War, said he worries Humes' concerns are accurate.
"For the enemy, it's like saying 'we're going to leave, as long as you can put up with us until then.' So, I don't know if I agree with putting an actual date on it," Hoffman said. "But at the same time, you have to do something to get the Iraqis ready."
Hoffman said the transition of power to the Iraqis could be challenging since the country has never experienced the kind of freedom they now have available.
"We've been around for 200 years and we still have our problems with it," he said. "We can't expect them to all of a sudden jump up and be a strong democracy."
While democratic political success could be possible for Iraq, Hoffman believes Obama's timetable is a way to appease the American public.
"I just don't think that's the right answer," he said.
The decision to pull combat forces from Iraq was not one Obama seemed to make lightly, Kalloch said.
"He sought out both his civilian leadership and the military leadership for advice and what the current situation is on the ground, and what the way ahead is," he said.
Even though Obama made campaign promises regarding the war, Kalloch said he is reassured by military leaders who stand behind the president's decision; in particular, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Central Command Commander General David Petraeus and General Ray Ordierno, who is in charge of forces in Iraq.
Before complete withdrawal of troops can take place, though, Kalloch said both American and Iraqi forces have work to do.
Kalloch said if political or social situations in Iraq change, the timetable could as well. He said there will be continual assessment regarding progress, and removing troops must be carefully calculated.
"This must be done in a planned fashion to make sure our soldiers are not put at risk," Kalloch said. "At the same time, ensuring that the Iraqis have a stable and secure environment and that we just don't leave for the sake of leaving to meet a timetable, and leave an area in chaos that won't meet our security objectives.
"The military is fully on board with making this timeline and making this work," he said.
metro@cm-life.com
