Third Infantry gets its marching orders

The Boston Globe ^ | 7/27/2003 | Brian MacQuarrie

[Radix]

HABBANIYAH, Iraq -- They seized Saddam Hussein's palaces in April, became reluctant Baghdad peacekeepers in May, and shifted to the hostile villages of the Sunni Triangle in June.

But yesterday, after a crushing series of aborted plans to relieve the Army division that won the war, the word raced among the 5,000 soldiers of the Second Brigade, Third Infantry Division: They're going home.

[Radix]

This is good news for a lot of us.

[Radix]

Ping

[squidly]

Now let's not have anybody getting short-timer disease over there.

[faithincowboys]

Yes it is, but the contention that they had a harder go than predicted is curious. Weren't there predictions of chemical warfare? I would say that they had an easier go than thought. We heard about thousands of casualties and deployments of WMD. I'm glad they're coming home, but let's not pretend that this was the hardest deployment in American military history.

[MEG33]

They have performed so well and their expertise will be missed.I pray all goes well and they can come home in August.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Radix for posting this good news!

Ping to you SAM!

[kayak]

This is GREAT news!

[SAMWolf]

Good news.

For most of the division's 20,000 soldiers, their deployment in Kuwait and Iraq has been much tougher, bloodier, and longer than either they or their families anticipated.

I have a hard time believeing this part. I don't think they were expecing a short easy war. I can believe they weren't expecting to play "cops" after the fighting was over.

[Valin]

Man I hope this is for real this time. Nothing worse for moral than the old hurry up and wait.

[Valin]

Tag! You're it.

[demlosers]

The Pentagon's got a rotation schedule now. The 3rd Inf is suppose to be replaced by the 82nd.

[Naspino]

Maybe they were prepared for the "elite" republican guard -- or didn't expect a "Quagmire" of "Vietnam" proportions? /sarcasm

[Amelia]

I can believe they weren't expecting to play "cops" after the fighting was over.

I believe they'd been told they would do the fighting and another division would play cops after the fighting was over.

I think everyone expected the actual war part to be worse than it was, though.

[Sparta]

Good news. They need to be rested. I hope the 82nd Airborne can have as much, if not more, success against the Ba'athists and Islamists than the 3rd ID did.

[Sparta]

[Radix]

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks, Valin!

Just as Amb. Bremer said. The trouble started because the PRESS mistated the original rescind order. Yes, it's a blow to be asked to stay two extra months when you were expecting to come home, but some evildoer in the press claimed the stay was "indefinite" - NOT true!

Once, the BBC Helped Fight Evil scroll about halfway down.

 

Our press did the same...of course.

[yarddog]

I will always remember the time my battery went out in Hinesville, Georgia and a soldier from the 24th ID (now the 3rd) stopped and helped me.

[McGavin999]

OK, now I'm confused. It says the third turned over their duties to the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment. Does this mean the 3 ACR is staying?

[section9]

The Pentagon's got a rotation schedule now. The 3rd Inf is suppose to be replaced by the 82nd.

Smart move, but I have some misgivings.

The 82nd is a strike unit. Third ID is a heavy division and should be brought home, of course. Thankfully, CENTCOM has a rotation schedule in hand. However, 82nd ID is supposed to be a global strike division, with its Ready Brigade able to go anywhere in the world within 48 hours of a stand up order. I'd prefer the 25th "Tropic Lightning" from Schoefield Barracks in Oahu or a CONUS unit, such as 10th Mountain Division.

Of course, the ability of the Marine Corps to get to places quicker, faster, and with more tail than the 82nd tells me that the USMC is replacing the Airborne as the quick strike force.

Oh, does anyone know who's minding the store in Bosnia? Those folks should come home.

Be Seeing You,

Chris