They did it

Image courtesy: Spc. Luisito Brooks

On Wednesday evening, significant news began reaching the United States. American soldiers in the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division had crossed into Kuwait. Almost seven and a half years after the war in Iraq began, the last U.S. combat brigade is out of the country.

"To be a part of this historic last brigade combat team in Iraq is like getting closure, because I was one of the first in and now one of the last ones out," Staff Sgt. Matthew Pankey, who was on his first of three deployments to Iraq in the spring of 2003, told Sgt. Kimberly Johnson.

The most important aspect of this story will likely be missing from most coverage you'll see on television and read in newspapers. Despite honest disagreements at home over the war's merits and dishonest reporting from the mainstream media, which rushed to judgment against our troops by trumpeting an alleged "massacre" in Haditha, the brave men and women of the United States military persevered and achieved great things. Saddam Hussein is dead, his regime has fallen, and terrorists who tried to seize control of Iraq by brutalizing civilians have been killed, captured, or forced into hiding. The U.S. military was ordered to carry out these goals, and they did it.

Starting with Gen. David Petraeus, who is now being asked to lead our military to victory in Afghanistan, there are many heroes of the war in Iraq who should be recognized by all Americans, regardless of what polls say about who is for or against against the Iraq conflict. While the coming end of combat operations in a war some declared hopeless is a time for pride and patriotism, our hearts break for the more than 4,000 military families who have lost loved ones during this conflict. Many more troops were injured, and the wounded must receive the very best emotional and financial support. We should accept nothing less.

For the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the last year in Iraq was successful, but also bittersweet. On May 5, The Unknown Soldiers brought you the story of Staff Sgt. Christopher Worrell, who died on April 22 in Baghdad in a non-combat related incident. The highly decorated automated logistical specialist served for 13 years, repeatedly re-enlisted, and deployed three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His two sons will grow up without their dad, but they should also know that he died alongside fellow heroes.

For the Iraq war's first six and a half years, I was inside various newsrooms. Considering that nearly every journalist I worked with opposed the war in Iraq, with most doing so openly, it does not surprise me that Wednesday's events are getting a mostly lukewarm reception from reporters and commentators. Yet I truly believe the heroic actions of our troops on the battlefield will speak louder into history's megaphone than any media pundit. As the recent death of Spc. Faith Hinkley in Iskandariya, Iraq, shows, danger has not fully passed for the 56,000 U.S. troops still inside the country. Conditions in Iraq are not perfect. But let's make no mistake: the reason Operation Iraqi Freedom will soon become Operation New Dawn is because of the service and sacrifice of the United States military and America's allies. We cannot thank these men and women enough, and we must always remember those who didn't make it home.