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Threats subsiding for Arkansans troops in Iraq, visitors say Tuesday, Aug 5, 2008 By Steve Tetreault Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The threat of violence facing the largest contingent of Arkansas soldiers in Iraq has subsided substantially compared to their last deployment, according to lawmakers who met with them on a visit over the weekend. U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said Iraq "is a very different situation" from when he last visited in October 2006, and he said the change is to the benefit of the Arkansas National Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade that is on its second tour in the country. During the unit's previous deployment, "they were in the thick of it," Pryor said. "They were being shot at every single day, but today it is a lot quieter. The intensity level is way down." Meeting with the National Guard personnel, "I was trying to read their faces and see how they were feeling about things," Pryor said. "I got the distinct impression they are proud of their service but there is a measure of relief they have that things have settled down and things are not as tough as when they were here before." Pryor and three other Arkansas lawmakers completed a weekend trip to Iraq, where they said their goal was to meet with soldiers from the state and confer with U.S. generals and diplomats. Returning home on Monday, they spoke with reporters by phone during a layover at a U.S. air base in Italy. The Little Rock-based 39th Infantry Brigade was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005, and was redeployed early this year for what was advertised as a 10-month tour. Pryor said National Guard leaders in Arkansas "are trying to get them home by the first of the year, maybe by Christmas, but nobody wants to get their hopes too high on that." The 39th Infantry Brigade suffered 22 fatalities during its 2004-2005 deployment, including four who were killed during a rocket attack at Camp Cooke In Taji in April 2004. This year, one brigade member has died, Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Lynn Woodham of Rogers. All told, 84 Arkansas have been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to a tally on the Web site of U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. With 3,200 members, the 39th Infantry Brigade is the largest Arkansas combat command. Its members are serving in Baghdad and three other locations within Iraq, mostly acting as a security force, according to Maj. Keith Moore, public affairs officer with the Arkansas National Guard. Arkansans also are attached to other National Guard units stationed in Iraq, and also to the regular armed forces. The U.S. surge in which President Bush ordered 30,000 additional troops into Iraq in February 2007 has been credited with reducing violence in Iraq, although the Arkansas visitors noted the calm was merely relative and that the quieter atmosphere was a fragile one. "Is the surge working? Absolutely," said U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott. "Anytime you spend $16 million an hour you will make a difference. The big question is what happens when we are not spending $16 million an hour. We cannot sustain that forever." The month of July saw the fewest U.S. casualties since the 2003 start of the Iraq war. "Everyone is hoping that is a trend that holds," said Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers. But Boozman said Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, "is realistic about that. We are still in a dangerous situation." The Arkansans were briefed by Petraeus, and by Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the No. 2 commander, during the trip in which they arrived in Iraq on Saturday afternoon and departed on Sunday night. They were expected to arrive back in the United States on Tuesday after stopovers in Kuwait and at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily. Ross, who organized the weekend trip, said the 39th Infantry Brigade seemed to be better outfitted than when he first visited Iraq in 2004, although equipment is showing wear after years in service. "In 2004 I was hearing a lot more they were not getting the resources they need to get the job done," Ross said. "I am hearing that less this time. "I was hearing complaints about Humvees not being uparmed but we did not hear that this time," Ross said. "This time they have the equipment they need but a lot of it is worn. They have the challenge of it breaking down from time to time." Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, said the "quality of life is far superior than they had before," but he added one of challenges facing U.S troops becomes inescapable the moment you step off the plane. "The heat is unbearable," Berry said. "We are used to hot weather in Arkansas but we have never seen what they go through in the summertime over there." The forecasted high for this week was 118 degrees. Added Ross: "It is like having a hairdryer blowing in your face, with a little bit of sand mixed in." |
