The Common Ills: "Anticipate deployments to Iraq as far off as 2012"

Thursday, October 08, 2009

"Anticipate deployments to Iraq as far off as 2012"

Testifying at a congressional hearing last week, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said that the withdrawal was going "a bit faster than we originally planned." But Gen. Ray Odierno declined to say that victory was near. After all, up to 50,000 U.S. service members are expected to remain in Iraq until the end of 2011.
And some Utah units have been told to anticipate deployments to Iraq as far off as 2012.

The above is from Matthew D. LaPlante's "As thousands leave Iraq, Utah air units moving in: Iraqi assets limited, so U.S. helicopter units likely to see action in Iraq for years to come" (Salt Lake Tribune). Hmmm. "And some Utah units have been told to anticipate deployments to Iraq as far off as 2012"? Some Utah units are being told that the may be doing tours of duty in Iraq beginning in 2012? B-b-b-but the illegal war is ending, right?

If you believe that you've either not been paying attention or you've listened to too many liars. 2012. The US may still be sending US troops over in 2012. That should have been LaPlante's lede. The story he's covering is an important one but that's the lede: "And some Utah units have been told to anticipate deployments to Iraq as far off as 2012."

Meanwhile Keith Eldridge (KOMO News, Seattle) interviews Lt Gen Charles Jacoby at Fort Lewis:

"No rumors of that," he said. "And I should be the first to know. So I'm glad I have the chance to say publicly that I have not heard any of that."
He says right now the mission of all 130,000 troops in Iraq is too important to leave.
"We are very close to success in Iraq," he said. "So now it's a question of having the will and the determination to finish the task."

Tuesday's snapshot included: "And today the US military announced: 'A Soldier assigned to Multi-National Division-South died of a non-combat related injury October 6. The Soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.' The announcement brings the number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war to 4349." The Defense Department identified the fallen yesterday, "Maj. Tad T. Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, Minn., died Oct. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 34th Infantry Division, Rosemont, Minn." Mark Brunswick (Minneapolis Star Tribune) reports it was Tad Hervas second deployment to Iraq. He notes:

Al Michaud, who has known Hervas since their days together at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, described Hervas as a gregarious friend who always made him laugh. The two were part of a group that called itself the Dirty Dozen, a group of college students who lived close to each other, socialized and played intramural sports together.
"He could always make me laugh, every time I saw him," Michaud said.

Among Tad Hervas' survivors is his father Ned Hervas who tells Richard Chin (Pioneer Press), "Things were looking good. Two days later, we got two soldiers at the door. That was tough to take." Ned Hervas explains his son served in the Air Force until 1991 and then, after 9-11, attempted to re-enlist but was told that "he was too old and he had been out too long" so he instead joined his state's National Guard and was first deployed to Iraq in 2004. Among Tad Hervas' honors and decorations is the Bronze Star.

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