America's 'Colors' Return Home From Iraq

President Barack Obama greets the last troops assigned to U.S. Forces Iraq as they arrive on Joint Base Andrews, Md., Dec. 20, 2011. DOD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

Return Of Colors Ceremony Closes Out Iraq War -- Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON – In the final operation of the Iraq war, U.S. Forces-Iraq commander Gen. Lloyd Austin returned the command’s flag to U.S. soil Tuesday in a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

“We have honored our commitment and our military-led mission has come to a successful conclusion, and today I am proud to safely return our colors to their rightful place, the United States of America,” Austin told an audience that included President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as well as returning troops and their families.

Read more ....

More News On The Last U.S. Troops From Iraq Returning Home (With The Colors)

U.S. general brings Baghdad standard home -- CNN
U.S. General Returns From Iraq With Baghdad Flag -- New York Times/Reuters
U.S. Commander from Iraq Arrives Home -- Time/AP
Obama marks end of Iraq war -- Politico
US colors from Iraq return home -- AFP

Soldiers Cheer As America Closes The Gates On Iraq

Leaving for good: Soldiers close the Iraq-Kuwait border gate behind the final vehicles. There are concerns about how stable Iraq is and whether the departure of U.S. troops is too premature.

Over And Out: Soldiers Cheer As America Closes The Gates On Iraq -- Daily Mail

The last American soldiers rolled out of Iraq yesterday, bringing a formal end to a bitterly divisive war that has raged for nearly nine years.

The troops whooped with delight and pumped their fists as they closed the border gate with Kuwait.

The war cost nearly 4,500 American and more than 100,000 Iraqi lives and $800billion (£500billion) from the U.S. Treasury.

Read more ....

My Comment: They are not the only ones who are cheering .... count me as one of them.

Drone Watches Last U.S. Convoy Leave Iraq (Video)

Video: Drone Watches Last U.S. Convoy Leave Iraq -- The Danger Room

On March 19, 2003, U.S. ground forces crossed the concertina wire in Kuwait that marks Iraq’s southern border, beginning one of America’s most controversial wars. On December 17, 2011, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the last military convoys rolled off Iraqi soil, back to Kuwait. This time, a U.S. Air Force Predator drone loitered overhead, bearing witness.

This is what a U.S. withdrawal looks like to a robotic plane in the sky. An orderly, blue-tinged column of trucks — 125 of them, according to the U.S. Air Force — moves along a stretch of road. The Predator doesn’t see any of the accomplishments or the sacrifice that U.S. troops achieved, endured and earned in Iraq for the past nine years. Nor does it see the suffering, the bitterness and the loss.

Read more ....

My Comment: My favorite picture of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is this one .... a poignant closing of the door by U.S. and Kuwaiti soldiers on Dec. 18, 2011, signaling the end of Operation New Dawn..

Jubilation And Skepticism For The Last U.S. Troops Leaving Iraq

FINAL FLIGHT
U.S. Air Force airmen prepare to take-off on a C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft on Ali Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 18, 2011, signaling the end of Operation New Dawn. The airmen were part of the last troops to leave Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

Iraq War Ends: What It Was Like On The Last US Flight Out -- Christian Science Monitor

The last military flight of the Iraq war left the country Saturday night. For many of the jubilant troops aboard the C-17, the Iraq war had come full circle, and it was time to go home.

On the US military’s last plane out of Iraq Saturday night, troops on board are in a festive, if slightly skeptical mood.

The Air Force crew manning the C-17 cargo plane has been told on previous missions that theirs will be the final flight out of the country in which America waged war for 8-1/2 years.

“They’ve said it was the last flight to us three or four times,” says Staff Sgt. Kristi Benton, reading a Dean Koonz novel.

Read more ....

My Comment: So .... the last U.S. troops are now out of Iraq. What is my take .... good riddance and I can only hope that we will not be back next year or in twenty years.

Last U.S. Troops Leave Iraq -- News Roundup

Last Convoy of American Troops Leaves Iraq -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — The last convoy of American troops drove into Kuwait on Sunday morning, punctuating the end of the nearly nine-year war in Iraq.

As an indication of the country the United States is leaving behind, for security reasons the last soldiers made no time for goodbyes to Iraqis with whom they had become acquainted. To keep details of the final trip secret from insurgents — or Iraqi security officers aligned with militias — interpreters for the last unit to leave the base called local tribal sheiks and government leaders on Saturday morning and conveyed that business would go on as usual, not letting on that all the Americans would soon be gone.

Read more ....

More News On The Last Convoy Of American Soldiers Leaving Iraq

U.S. exit from Iraq without incident -- CBS
Last US troops withdraw from Iraq -- BBC
AP photographer travels with the last US troops to leave Iraq, crossing the border into Kuwait -- Washington Post/AP
Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war -- Reuters
Last troops exit Iraq in subdued end to 9-year war -- AP
Deadly Iraq war ends with exit of last U.S. troops -- CNN
Elated, last US troops leave Iraq, ending war -- AP
Ground Convoy Drives Out, Quietly -- Wall Street Journal
‘Hey guys, you made it’: Final U.S. combat troops leave Iraq -- National Post/Reuters
Over and out: After nine years and more than 4,000 American lives lost, final U.S. troops leave Iraq -- Daily Mail
As Soldiers Leave, U.S. Diplomats Face Huge Iraq Challenge -- New York Times/Reuters

As last U.S. troops exit Iraq, they leave a troubled land behind -- David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times
Iraq faces grim challenges as U.S. troops depart -- SFGate/AP
Even as Iraqis cheer exit of last US troops, sectarian feuds point to worries ahead -- Washington Post/AP
Iraqis celebrate US exit, but worry for future -- MSNBC
Iraq War Ends, an Uncertain Future Begins -- Voice of America
Iraq After the U.S. Military Withdrawal -- New York Times
Iraq: Key Figures Since the War Began -- AP
Key dates in the Iraq war -- CNN
Key Dates in the 2003-2011 Iraq War -- AP

Drawdown Through Kuwait (Video)

What We Are Leaving Behind In Iraq

Gear Galore Left In Iraq As Last Troops Pull Out -- Washington Times

U.S. command says it’s not worth hauling back.

If the U.S. military held a yard sale, the rummaging would look a lot like what has been going on in Iraq.

Troops are leaving a bounty of leftovers as they exit the country this month, abandoning dining-hall tables and chairs, tents, air conditioners and old vehicles.

Unlike a traditional American yard sale, the military bric-a-brac is free. The stuff likely would be dumped back home.

Read more ....

My Comment: In short .... the Iraqis will be getting our used and busted stuff that we will never use.

Who Will Be The Last U.S. Soldiers To Leave Iraq?

Camp Adder, August 2010: Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR for TIME

Last US Base In Iraq Prepares To Turn Out The Lights -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News

CAMP ADDER, Iraq -- The young Army officer who's in charge of logistics at the last U.S. base in Iraq is a Sudanese refugee, one of the "lost boys" who fled their war-ravaged homeland in the mid-1990s.

His staff sergeant survived a deadly improvised-explosives attack during his third tour here in 2005, then returned for two more.

When they and the five other members of their team process the final load of equipment from what was once a network of more than 500 American bases, the nearly nine-year U.S. occupation and military presence in Iraq will be history.

Read more ....

My Comment: I call this leaving without a bang .... but a whimper.

America Finally Pulls Out Of Iraq -- A News Roundup

US Formally Ends Military Mission In Iraq -- Voice of America

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has formally declared the end of the war in Iraq, at a ceremony at the airport in Baghdad.

After the U.S. command's flag was lowered and the “Last Post” was played Thursday, Panetta told troops that a lot of American and Iraqi blood was spilled, but that the mission of an Iraq that could govern itself has become real.

More than 4,500 U.S. troops died as well as tens of thousands of Iraqis during the allied operation in Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein. More than 32,000 U.S. soldiers were wounded. The war cost the United States at least $800 billion.

Panetta acknowledged that Iraq is still facing many challenges.

Read more ....

More News On the End Of The War for The U.S. In Iraq

U.S. War in Iraq Declared Officially Over -- New York Times
Iraq war draws to a quiet close -- Washington Post
US formally ends Iraq war with little fanfare -- CBS/AP
Military marks end to nearly nine bloody years in Iraq -- Reuters
U.S. formally declares end of Iraq War -- USA Today
US formally ends Iraq war -- The Telegraph
Iraq: Leon Panetta Announces Official End of War -- FOX News
U.S. military formally ends mission in Iraq -- L.A. Times
War in Iraq officially over: A retrospective of the nearly nine-year battle -- New York Daily News
Spoils of Iraq war evade US and UK -- Financial Times
Gen Wesley Clark: Iraq could be incredibly bountiful -- BBC
Will Iraq's 1.3 million refugees ever be able to go home? -- The Independent
US exit from Iraq: 'this is not a withdrawal, this is an act on a stage' -- Martin Chulov, The Guardian
Iraq after America: here's hoping for the best -- Michael White, The Guardian
The end to a bloody chapter -- Peter Wilson, The Australian
Iraq, after US ends its war role, must now define 'mission accomplished' -- Christian Science Monitor editorial
US Iraq withdrawal marks new dawn -- John Simpson, BBC

The Iraq War: The Stats And Final Numbers

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Eight Years On, America Finally Pulls Out Of Iraq: Last 4,000 U.S. Soldiers Will Go By The End Of The Year -- Daily Mail

* Estimated 4,500 American troops died in the conflict
* U.S. Defence Secretary says troops leave with 'pride'
* About 100,000 Iraqis killed during the bloodshed

The U.S. military officially declared the Iraq War over yesterday after more than eight years of bloodshed.

A ceremony was held at Baghdad’s heavily-fortified airport to mark the withdrawal of American troops, an estimated 4,500 of whom have died in the conflict. Some 100,000 Iraqis are also thought to have lost their lives.

U.S. defence secretary Leon Panetta told his troops they could leave with great pride. ‘After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real,’ he said.

Read more ....

My Comment: Scroll down the Daily Mail article for interesting and informative graphs and galleries of stats, pictures, and videos that mark the end of the Iraq war for U.S. forces.

More stats and numbers can be found at the Washington Post/AP, and at The Guardian.

U.S. Soldiers And Vets Have Mixed Emotions On the End Of The Iraq War

End Of Iraq War Bittersweet For Soldiers, Vets -- ABC News

After almost nine years, the Iraq War has come to an official end, ending a chapter in U.S.history that claimed the lives of almost 4,500 Americans, and left more than 32,200 more wounded.

For many Americans who served in the war, as well as their families, the feeling is bittersweet.

"I am glad they are finally pulling the troops out of there," said veteran Robert Miltenberger, who served as a staff sergeant in Sadr City in 2004. "We should have pulled them out after they went in there and blown up Baghdad. Turned around and drove everybody back out, and let the population over there decide who was going to be the next leader instead of staying over there for four or five years."

Read more ....

My Comment: What is my take .... I am glad we are leaving, and fearful that because of our dependency on oil we may have to return if everything "goes south" in the region. As to the media's coverage of today's ceremonies .... I have only one question .... where was/is it?

Sighhhh .... what a strange and empty day.

The U.S. War In Iraq Is Now Over -- News Roundup

American troops in Iraq before the ceremonies marking the end of their mission on Thursday. Pool photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais

U.S. War In Iraq Declared Officially Over -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — The United States military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday even as violence continues to plague the country and the Muslim world remains distrustful of American power.

In a fortified concrete courtyard at the airport in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked the more than one million American service members who have served in Iraq for “the remarkable progress” made over the past nine years but acknowledged the severe challenges that face the struggling democracy.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Formally Ending It's War In Iraq

US Marks End of Iraq Military Mission -- Voice of America
US forces mark end of Iraq mission -- Yahoo News/AFP
US marks end to nearly nine years in Iraq -- Financial Times/Reuters
U.S. military formally ends mission in Iraq -- L.A. Times
US marks the end of Iraq military campaign in formal ceremony -- The Telegraph
Reporters Notebook: Panetta Formally Ends U.S. Military Mission in Iraq -- FOX News
U.S. Declares End of Mission in Iraq -- ABC News
Iraq war draws to a quiet close -- Washington Post
'A new chapter': US officially ends Iraq war -- MSNBC
U.S. officially ends military mission in Iraq -- Xinhuanet
In Iraq, US formally draws a close to an unpopular war -- Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Military Formally Ends Iraq Mission -- Radio Free Europe

U.S. Military Retains One Last Role In Iraq

U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks by Molly Dzitko USAF

As Troops Leave Iraq, Military Retains One Last Role -- Stars And Stripes

BAGHDAD — After the stated end of combat operations last year, and this year’s imminent pullout of all servicemembers under the Defense Department’s direct command, you can forgive anyone for thinking that U.S. military involvement in Iraq is over.

Following years of training and reorganizing the Iraqi army, a mix of 157 servicemembers and Defense Department civilians working for the State Department’s Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq will oversee what they hope will be the next big step: the modernization of three Iraqi army divisions by Dec. 31, 2014.

Read more ....

My Comment: This last role may change if proper legal protections are not given.

Iraq's Military Still Unable To Defend The Nation's Borders

U.S. soldiers observe Iraqi police cadets shoot as they train at a firing range at a training base in the town of Hillah. Radio Free Europe

Iraqi Forces Still Unable To Defend Nation’s Borders As US Exits After Years Of Training -- Washington Post/AP

BAGHDAD — After billions of dollars and nearly nine years of training, American troops are leaving behind an Iraqi security force arguably capable of providing internal security but unprepared to defend the nation against foreign threats at a time of rising tensions throughout the Middle East.

Building up an Iraqi military and police able to protect the country became a key goal of the United States and its allies after they defeated and then disbanded the Saddam Hussein-era force in 2003. As America’s role in Iraq fades, the results appear at best incomplete.

Read more ....

My Comment: Iraq's number one problem is internal security .... focusing on external threats is not in the cards for their military right now.

President Obama Marks The End Of The Iraq War

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Obama Speech At Fort Bragg Marks End Of Iraq War -- BBC

US President Barack Obama has marked the end of the Iraq war with a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, telling troops, "welcome home!"

His address paid tribute to the soldiers who served in the conflict - both those who died and veterans who returned home after long tours of duty.

More than 200 soldiers based at Fort Bragg died over the course of the nearly nine-year war.

The final US soldiers are expected to leave Iraq within days.

The last combat troops departed in August 2010.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Marking The End Of The Iraq War

President Obama’s and Michelle Obama’s Remarks at Fort Bragg, NC -- Time

Obama welcomes home troops, marks end of Iraq war -- Reuters
At Fort Bragg, Obama marking coming end to Iraq war by thanking troops for years of service -- Washington Post/AP
Obama Praises Troops as He Ends the War He Opposed -- New York Times
At Fort Bragg, Obama welcomes troops home from Iraq -- L.A. Times
'Welcome home,' Obama tells troops from Iraq -- CNN
Obama to troops: "Welcome home" -- CBS
At Fort Bragg, Obama hails the end of the Iraq war -- Washington Post
Obama Hails End of Iraq War in Tribute to Troops -- ABC News
Barack Obama marks end of Iraq War with tribute to troops -- The Telegraph
Obama Calls End of Iraq War ‘an Extraordinary Achievement’ -- Bloomberg
Obama marks end of 'extraordinary chapter' in Iraq with tribute to troops -- The Guardian
Barack Obama declares Iraq war a success -- The Guardian
'Welcome home,' Obama tells troops from Iraq -- CNN
Obama speech at Fort Bragg marks end of Iraq war -- BBC
Obama marking end of Iraq war -- AP
Obama to Thank Troops for Iraq Service -- Voice of America
Obama To Troops: 'Welcome Home' -- NPR
Obama to Iraq vets: 'Your service belongs to the ages' -- USA Today
Barack Obama and what he said on the Iraq war -- The Telegraph

Iraqis React To The American Withdrawal

What Iraqis Think Of The American Withdrawal: Baghdad -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — As American forces start to pull out of Iraq, we asked Iraqis around the country three questions: Will Iraq be better or worse off after American troops leave? What did the Americans achieve in Iraq? And what have they personally lost or gained since the 2003 invasion? Some answered only one or two questions. Although the respondents varied from area to area and across social and religions divides, some clear patterns emerge.

In Sunni areas of the north and west — from Baghdad to Mosul and out across Anbar – there is abiding fear among Saddam Hussein’s once-ruling minority of the ancient regional foe, Iran, and how vulnerable a post-American Iraq may be to Tehran’s military, political and economic ambitions.

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that a majority of Iraqis are going to feel like this, and it will be a sentiment that will become more negative when the Iraqi state starts to unravel .... a prospect that I feel will become more of a reality as Iraq's sectarian differences and demands for autonomy start to increase.

Iraq After The U.S. Withdrawal

Without Our Troops, Can Iraq's Fragile Peace Hold? -- USA Today

RAMADI, Iraq – By midmorning tribal sheiks, provincial leaders and politicians from Baghdad were packed into a small office in the provincial council chambers.

The gathering was choked with smoke as the Iraqis debated several matters. Wisam al-Rawi, a council member, insisted on more security where insurgents had vandalized power substations. Ibtesam Mohammed, head of the education committee, defended her demotion of a headmistress at a school where teachers had been demanding money from students to teach them.

"There's no need to collect money from the families and children anymore," Mohammed explained later. "We have good salaries these days."

Read more ....

More News On Iraq And The U.S. Withdrawal From The Country

US Troops Leave Iraq, Controversy Over War Continues -- Voice of America
US troops scramble to hand off last-minute security 'details' to Iraqis -- Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Troops (But Not Their TVs) Prepare To Leave Iraq -- NPR
Oil power struggle as U.S. leaves Iraq -- CNN
Iraqi Oil Pipeline Near Basra Burns After Explosions, AP Says -- Bloomberg
Explosions rock oil pipeline in southern Iraq, firefighters battle blaze -- Washington Post/AP
As troops leave, Iraq wants surge of American business -- CNN
Iraqi PM: US Businesses to Lead Way in Iraq After Troop Withdrawal -- Voice of America
US invasion unleashed Iraqi 'creative anarchy' -- AFP
Debt and graft slow Iraq on path to progress -- Financial Times
A second Iraqi province seeks autonomy from Baghdad -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
Baghdad frets over rash of autonomy moves -- UPI
How the Iraq war followed one veteran home -- BBC
Troop Pullout Not The End Of US Presence In Iraq -- NPR (Interview)
How Iraq will fare without U.S. soldiers: 4 predictions -- The Week
Is Iraq Headed for a Crackup? -- Chuck Spinney, Time

Iraq's New Ghost Towns: Abandoned U.S. Bases

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Iraq's New Ghost Towns: The Surreal Sight Of Abandoned U.S. Bases As Troops Return Home In Their Thousands -- Daily Mail

* Only 4 camps out of 505 remain; 6,000 soldiers down from 170,000 peak
* President Obama set to meet Iraqi PM in Washington
They once bustled to the soundtrack of thousands of soldiers working towards establishing security in a war zone.

But U.S. military bases in Iraq are fast becoming ghost towns as America continues to withdraw virtually all of its troops by December 31.

Only 6,000 troops remain in the country - down from a peak of 170,000 at the height of the war in 2007. And of the 505 military bases set up during the eight-year mission, only four continue to have a handful of personnel.

Read more ....

My Comment: Talking about the dust-bin of history .... the Daily Mail`s pictures of these abandoned US military bases are just that .... empty dusty shells of what they use to be.

Iraq After The US: Will It Survive?

Iraq After The US: Will It Survive? (Video) -- Christian Science Monitor

Iraqis harbor anger, deep concerns – and some optimism – as American troops withdraw after nearly nine years of war and occupation.

Most Iraqis can tell you the exact moment that war exploded into their lives, dissolving their hope for the US invasion of their country in 2003 and hardening the despair over its bloody aftermath.

For Yas Khudair al-Khafaji, it came on a quiet Friday morning in November 2005. A double suicide truck bombing targeted the Hamra Hotel in Baghdad – and blew up just 25 yards from his front door.

One moment he was watching TV with his daughter Rousel, age 11. Twenty seconds later, the roof collapsed and he heard Rousel's last breath in his ear. Mr. Khafaji's wife and nephew also died.

"It was the first and final knockout in my life. I remember that every day," recalls Khafaji six years later.

Read more ....

My Comment: One of the Iraqi government's biggest problem will be this one.

U.S. State Department Gets Ready To Assume It's Iraq Mission

State Department To Assume Massive Mission In Iraq As Troops Leave -- FOX News/Wall Street Journal

U.S. troops are on track to leave Iraq before the end of December, but the U.S. involvement there is anything but over -- meaning local resistance to Americans, and the security challenges that come with it, will continue.

In place of the military, the State Department will assume a new role of unprecedented scale, overseeing a massive diplomatic mission through a network of fortified, self-sufficient installations.

After the troops have left, the U.S. presence in Iraq-which peaked at 170,000-will number between 15,000 and 16,000, including federal employees and private contractors.

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that the CIA is going to be easy. As for private contractors .... this is going to be nirvana for them .... replacing the military and being paid top dollar for it. But .... if this gets out of hand .... all the efforts of the past few years will have been for naught.