Word: troop
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...unusually brutal spring in Iraq. With at least 220 dead, April and May combined for the bloodiest two-month stretch for U.S. forces since the war began. The spike in casualties is the result of the troop "surge," chiefly into hostile parts of Baghdad, a move opposed by a number of senior generals before it was announced last winter. Now President George W. Bush is under mounting pressure from members of his party to prove the effectiveness of the surge by summer's end or risk having his allies turn on the policy. The fear, G.O.P. officials privately admit...
While widespread doubts in the Pentagon remain that the U.S. troop surge is going to work, one thing is clear: It is becoming increasingly costly in terms of American blood. As May comes to a close, the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq measured over a two-month period has reached an all-time high. Military officials had predicted such a spike as General David Petraeus began to flow close to 30,000 more U.S. troops into greater Baghdad, stationing many in small outposts dotted across the region. Unfortunately, it's one prediction that the brass got right...
...that end, the captain and his men are talking constantly to residents about everything from the price of propane to whether they feel safe in their homes. "I'm trying to find the dude who knows what's going on on the street," Brooks said. "This is what the troop surge allows...
...influx of American troops into Baghdad has significantly lowered the level of violence in Ghazaliya, one of the Iraqi capital's most dangerous neighborhoods. But Ghazaliya highlights both the promise and the limitations of the troop surge. Residents are relieved to have the Americans around for now, but they have little faith in the Iraqi soldiers who will eventually replace them...
...longer tours are accompanied by a guaranteed year at home for soldiers between deployments, a move hailed by many as beneficial for troop morale and important for staving off burnout. But that year includes a rigorous schedule of month-long stints at the National Training Centers and live-fire field exercises that can last days at a time. Even if soldiers are back in the U.S. for a year, little more than half of that time is spent with family, and the next deployment always looms large. "We go home and immediately start preparing for the next deployment," says Polk...