US Casualties Down in Iraq

It's a little early to tell, but it's interesting that US casualties are on pace for the lowest in any month in quite a while.

Cybercast News service is reporting:

Through the afternoon of October 15, the Defense Department reported that 15 U.S. military personal had been killed in Iraq since October 1. Thirteen of these were combat-related, while the other two were not. The most recent Defense-Department-reported death occurred on Oct. 12.

Last year -- during the same period -- 44 U.S. military personnel were killed in Iraq, all but two in combat-related incidents. That's more than three times the number of combat-related casualties now being reported for the first half of this October.

It sounds like the counter-insurgency tactics employed by General Petraeus are working, and that perhaps the MoveOn.org crowd was a bit premature in saying that he was betraying the US. Hmmm.....

CNSNews adds that

September 2007 marked a 14-month low in reported casualties: 68 U.S. military personnel were killed in Iraq, a drop in deaths the military credited to the 30,000 "surge" in troops that began in June. Among the 68 U.S. casualties in Iraq in September, 41 were from combat-related incidents.

It seems as well, from what I've been hearing on the radio, that car bombings are down, and the number of casualties from such bombings are down as well.

Sounds almost like a trend...or two.

Ramadi Enjoying New Sense of Hope and Optimism

Things started to improve when I was in Ramadi in the first half of 2006. But it's really improved in the year since then.

I left the Ramadi area in June 2006. According to an ABC news story, there were 450 attacks in that month. A year later, in June 2007, there were only 25.

The image you see above is Ambassador Ryan Crocker in downtown Ramadi, without a flack vest. It is working between the US and the Iraqis, because they understand more all the time that we're there to help.

Click here to view the ABC News Story.

How Many Mistakes? Who is to Blame?

The tightrope we walk in Iraq is sometimes broken by senseless acts of American soldiers. Is this story one of them, or is it another in the long line of deaths than can be chalked up to the provocations of terrorism?

If the story is as the people in the story say, an American soldier is a murderer. It's not that easy, however. The provocations that Americans live under every day explains how something like this could happen.

If the Iraqi people really want violence to stop in their country, they have to speak out more loudly against sectarian strife, whose flames are constantly fanned by al Qaeda in the Iranians.

Adam Galvez Street

In the midst of all of the politics surrounding the Iraq war, we often forget the American men and women who are proud to serve their country. Even when they give the "last full measure of [their] devotion", we often don't notice for very long. As a result of an Eagle Scout project in Salt Lake City last week, Corporal Adam Galvez will be remembered. His family will ever be proud that their son served.

"Junior Cruz did about the coolest Eagle Scout project I've ever heard of," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said during a ceremony at Franklin Elementary School. "Junior, I think you'd make an awesome governor some day."

On Friday, February 2, 2007, a portion of 300 South Street in Salt Lake City was renamed "Adam Galvez Street".

Marine Corporal Galvez was one month away from returning home when he was killed by a roadside bomb on August 20, 2006. He had the full love and support from his family in a service he was proud to provide.

To show their support for the United States military, and especially those Marine friends he left behind, his parents have started a care package project called Cool Marines.

Corporal Galvez--thank you for your service and your ultimate sacrifice. You will be remembered.

Should We Send More Troops?

Democratic leadership in Congress today made it very clear that they did not want President Bush to send more troops to Iraq? How do you feel about this issue?

"We are well past the point of more troops for Iraq," said new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, the new Senate Majority Leader.

"It has to be significant and sustained. Otherwise do not do it," said Republican Senator John McCain.

In a recent post, entitled "Iraqis Must Stand Tall" I opined that at some point Iraqis must begin taking more responsibility for their own situation. In reading Bob Woodward's book State of Denial, I think it appears that this was George W. Bush's intent early on, but perhaps because the Bush Administration rushed pell mell into the attack before all the ducks were lined up, we're now about three years behind on that curve.

In a recent Time magazine article, an Iraqi Shia was quoted as being very frustrated because he would sometimes go for days without seeing American troops in his neighborhood, but whenever he told them he was about to start defend himself against Sunni aggressors who were coming ever closer, the American response was something like "Don't do that, because if you do we can't guarantee your safety."

Would more troops provide more safety and security to the Iraqi people? Or does it just open up a whole new can of worms?

Let me know what you think. And please vote in the Serving Iraq Opinion Poll on this subject as well.