Word: 101st
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...soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division moved into positions around An Najaf two weeks ago, one of their commanders learned that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had just told America that everything was going exactly as planned. Colonel Hodges, the 1st Brigade Commander, laconically replied, "Funny, I don't remember ever rehearsing the Battle of An Najaf." The reality is that no one expected that U.S. troops would have to fight for the southern Iraqi city...
Najaf's civilians watched with hope and concern last week as the 101st made repeated incursions into the city, rooting out the remnants of regular and irregular Iraqi forces. After four days of cautiously advancing--sometimes fighting house to house, sometimes guided by civilians who pointed out the positions of Saddam's men--the Division's 1st Brigade gained control of the area on Wednesday. The following day Najaf had the feel of a liberated city. Smiling citizens crowded every street around the American positions. There was a constant stream of people willing to give information and loudly condemn Saddam...
...this. These people need us. Look how happy they are." The locals at last seemed convinced that Saddam could not reach back and hurt them, as had happened after Gulf War I. "All they ask is, When will the Americans kill Saddam?" said a Kuwaiti translator traveling with the 101st. "They say it over and over, as if I did not hear them. I tell them that the Americans will kill him and not to worry...
...With a thunderous blast Najaf's most visible symbol of Saddam's regime toppled in a heap of twisted metal. People ran from the side streets cheering and climbing over the wreckage, enjoying the giddiness of the moment. One Iraqi approached Brigadier General Benjamin Freakley, assistant commander of the 101st Airborne. "Kill Saddam," he said, and spat on the ground. Then he added, "Now we can have satellite...
...Prolonged tedium punctuated with moments of high excitement," is how TIME contributor Lacey describes traveling with the 101st Airborne. There was plenty of the latter last week, when Lacey witnessed 72 hours of fierce fighting during an assault on Najaf. Residents were initially suspicious of the invading troops, says Lacey, but "when they realized that the Americans were staying and that Saddam was gone, everything changed. The outpouring of support has been incredible...