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The rotation of troops into and out of Iraq is in full swing, DoD officials said today. More than 40,000 troops scheduled to deploy to Iraq have moved into theater, and 35,000 of those set to come home already have departed, said Army Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, a Joint Staff spokesman. The general and Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita fielded questions during a press conference. Pentagon officials said the rotation is the largest troop movement since World War II. A logistics official in Kuwait said it was like the Normandy invasion "in both directions." More than 60 commercial ships are carrying...

LAWRENCE DIRITA (Pentagon spokesman): I do want to just first of all welcome General Dave Rodriguez to the briefing room. He's the deputy director for Regional Operations in the Joint Staff, the J-3. Previous iterations of him have included such stars as Admiral Stufflebeam and others. We're very happy to have him engaged in this responsibility, which is to provide some updates from time to time, which we're happy to do today. There have been some other briefings, I know, throughout the day at other agencies, and I think Ambassador Bremer spoke earlier. But we thought it would be useful...

President Bush credited soldiers and their families at Fort Polk, La., today with "serving with skill and bravery in the war on terror" and leaving "no doubt that the enemy will be defeated and freedom will prevail." The commander in chief thanked troops at this northwest Louisiana post that has trained and deployed more than 10,000 troops in the war on terror. Among those deployed are more than 3,400 members of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and about 800 troops from the Warrior Brigade, made up of the 46th Engineer Battalion, the 83rd Chemical Battalion, the 115th Field Hospital and...

Marines are getting ready to deploy again into Iraq, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Michael Hagee told the House Armed Services Committee today. Hagee stressed to the congressmen that the Marine Corps is heavily committed to the war on terror. He said in the past year, Marines have been engaged in operations from Afghanistan to the Arabian Gulf. Marines have also been deployed to the Horn of Africa, Liberia, the Republic of Georgia, Colombia, Guantanamo Bay and the Philippines. He said the Marine participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom last year was the best example of what the Marines bring...

<p>USA Today is reporting that US troop deployment to Liberia is imminent: The bloodiest barrage in days sent shells crashing into the U.S. Embassy grounds and a school packed with refugees in the rebel-besieged capital Friday...President Bush's order of ships and troops to Liberia's coast was broadcast over the radio here as refugee families gathered broken bodies of men, women and children.</p>

Local chemical cleanup team to deploy By Thomas Jordan jordan@gomemphis.com April 9, 2003 Army Reserve soldiers from Arkansas and Tennessee who can clean up chemical and biological contamination have been mobilized to support the war in Iraq. The 398th Chemical Company, stationed at the Navy base in Millington, will leave Thursday for the Aberdeen Proving Ground. The company of about 80 soldiers will get deployment orders while they are at the Maryland post. The 398th has the dual mission of chemical decontamination and smoke generation, the making of a nontoxic cover for the concealment of troops in combat. Platoon leader...

ILLESHEIM, Germany — An icy fog hung over the Army airfield, suiting the mood of the soldiers and their families gathered for an uncertain farewell. Several troops in camouflage jackets huddled one last time with their sweethearts, staring through the fluorescent gloom of the cavernous hangar. Others handled pajama-clad kids, sleepy because of the midnight hour. Sgt. Shawn Jackson cuddled his 7-month-old, daughter, Mia, while his wife, Christina, and three sons sat nearby. Within hours Jackson, 28 — a Longbow Apache crew chief from the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment — would stow his gear and climb aboard a charter...