Marines Raise Flag on New U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

American Forces Press Service ^ | Donna Miles

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2009 – U.S. Marines raised the American flag yesterday during the dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker declared “a new era” for Iraq and the Iraqi-U.S. relationship.

U.S. Marines raise the American flag during the dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Jan. 5, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Derren J. Mazza  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and almost 1,000 invited guests looked on as the embassy’s Marine security detachment raised the red, white and blue over the largest U.S. Embassy in the world, with the Army’s 4th Infantry Division Band playing the U.S. national anthem.

The compound, set on 104 acres along the banks of the Tigris River in central Baghdad, includes 27 modern office, housing and support buildings in tones that blend with the desert landscape. Officials said the scale of the new complex reflects the importance of the U.S.-Iraqi bilateral relationship.

More than 1,200 U.S. diplomats, servicemembers and government officials and staff from 14 federal agencies will work and live on the compound, embassy officials said. Their tasks and missions run the gamut: supporting local elections, helping to fight corruption, helping develop Iraq’s energy and transportation sectors, strengthening the rule of law, providing security training and promoting educational and cultural exchange. In addition, 240 servicemembers assigned to Multinational Force Iraq are based at the embassy.

Construction of the compound began in 2005 and was completed in 2008 at a cost of $592 million, officials said.

Talabani called the new building a sign of how far the U.S.-Iraqi relationship has come.

“This building is not only a compound for the embassy, but a symbol of the deep friendship between the two peoples of Iraq and America,” he said.

Related Sites:
U.S. Embassy, Baghdad

[SandRat]

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[Constitutions Grandchild]

They are SO handsome!!! (Sigh).

[Mr. Lucky]

Nobody can raise the American flag with style like the Marines.

[don-o]

OORAH!

[SandRat]

Do I detect the silent sound of; “Be Still My Heart,” coming from you?

[Churchillspirit]

More good news that the MSM will ignore.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

You sure do!!! I make sure I hug and kiss every one I can get my hands on (lately, there have been quite a few — that kid of mine keeps bringing his fellow candidates and officers home, so I’m making hay while the sun shines) - ;-) and they are all REALLY good about it, too. Only one or two have become “menopausal” [blushed].

[Constitutions Grandchild]

No one can do ANYTHING like the Marines. My heroes!

[Ax]

What a difference a quarter century makes. I spent a couple of months in Baghdad in 1983 during the Iran-Iraq war. We were working in the old U.S. Embassy, at the time under the protection of Belgium. We weren’t allowed to fly the U.S. flag. There were no Marines there. After 1800 there was no American presence in the Section; “security” was provided by a platoon of Iraqi infantry. There were four levels of security locks to get through to get up to the Post Communications Center. The guy I was relieving said that Saddam’s goons could break in any time and hold a disco party, clean up before 0600 and we’d never know they were in there. This was before there were CCTV sets deployed. Oh, well. We won anyway. I’m not sure if the new Embassy is in the same ‘hood as the old one.

[trisham]

Bump!

[mrs tiggywinkle]

you’re sooo right. :o)

[Constitutions Grandchild]

You sound like a woman of experience. I honor that, ma'am — and Mr. Tiggywinkle, as well.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Mr Tiggywinkle was a Naval Aviator and his father was a career Marine (WWII Midway). My hubby looked great in his whites :op but there’s something extra special about a Marine.

[Between the Lines]

Looks like a prison.

[therut]

Look like a .gov building to me. Or an apartment building seen across the USA or a hospital building.