In my heart and on my mind

Although this blog is absolutely NOT an avenue for politics and such, it IS a place used to reflect what is happening and directly affecting my family's everyday life.

With all the media's recent focus on the war in Iraq and its shift in operations come Sept 1st, I fear, after reading articles, talking to some of you and listening to others comments, many of us feel that we can breathe a sigh of relief for our country and our soldiers. While granted, the reduction in the amount of our troops in Iraq is something to be thankful for, lets not forget the thousands still there, still working hard, still in danger everyday, and in my own opinion growing more and more vulnerable as the reduction will continue into the next year and a half.

Contrary to what many news reports are claiming, the last "combat" brigades are not ALL leaving Iraq. Our own 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division will have been in country on a combat mission for almost 3 months when Sept 1 rolls around and the mission changes to "advise and assist". But it's not like things are magically going to resolve as the calendar switches to September. Our soldiers will still be doing the same jobs they were doing on August 31st. A new name doesn't instantly change everything for the better.

So all I'm saying is... Lets not celebrate quite yet--be hopeful sure, but let's wait till our last soldier steps back on American soil to breathe our sigh of relief and until then continue on offering up prayers to our Lord that he will lay his safe hands over our loved ones still fighting, still serving our country.

If you are interested, I am attaching a letter from our Brigade Commander with his view on what Operation New Dawn means for our soldiers.

Warrior Brigade Families, Friends, and Supporters,

What does 01 September 2010 and Operation New Dawn (OND) mean?

2-25 Advise and Assist Brigade is still the same organization that deployed from Hawaii as the 2/25 SBCT (AAB). We have the same Soldiers, same leaders, and same equipment. We are trained, capable, and ready. However, our mission is what has changed from previous deployments. Instead of being focused on combat operations, our primary mission now is to conduct stability operations and specifically civil security. This involves providing for the safety of the host nation (Iraq) and its population, including protection from internal and external threats. How? We support, advise, assist, train, and equip the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) who have full responsibility for security in Iraq. Additionally, as the U.S. military takes the back seat to diplomatic efforts, we also support the U.S. Department of State Provincial Reconstruction Teams as they advise and work with local and regional Iraqi governments in the areas of civil capacity, economics, and governance.

Sept 1, 2010, does not mean a light switched on or off in Iraq. It is not a black and white change from 31 August to 01 September. Iraq can still be a dangerous place at certain places for very short periods. U.S. forces and your Warriors still possess the same capabilities to defend themselves during OND as they did during OIF. The rules of engagement have not changed. We still move around Iraq fully protected in armored Strykers and other armored vehicles, wearing full body armor, and fully loaded with ammunition to deal with the enemy if/when they raise their head in anger against us. We are not simply riding around in support of the ISF blindly, unable to defend ourselves or unable to conduct operations to protect ourselves. To the contrary, if we find a threat against us that the ISF either cannot or will not handle, we have every right, in accordance with the security agreement, to deal with that threat with the full weight of American military power in our formations. We will not ever simply sit back in a passive stance and allow extremists to take shots at us without cost to them. If necessary, we will actively pursue these threats, predominantly in a partnered or combined manner with the ISF. If the ISF are not available or willing to pursue, we will in a unilateral fashion in order to defend ourselves. In fact, we do this fairly routinely against specific threats in specific areas. Unfortunately, every once in awhile a devious enemy who avoids confrontation and prefers to “Hit and Run” gets lucky, and this has happened twice to the Warriors. And no doubt, there will be more casualties in the future - - it is simply the nature of this environment right now. Every U.S. Soldier wounding and death is tragic, difficult to understand, and impossible to put into perspective, particularly if you are a loved one, but this is the nature of our service to the nation.

As difficult as it may be, I ask for your patience and understanding in this regard. For many who are experiencing Iraq with a Soldier for the first time it may be difficult to see Iraq as I do, through the lens of 2006-7 which included the deadliest months for Americans since the Vietnam War. You Veteran Family members remember the dark, dire, early days of The Surge. Well, today, attacks are down more than 90% and the Iraqis are responsible for and managing their own security. Attacks are down over 50% here in the north of Iraq in the last year alone and the overwhelming majority of them are ineffective. These facts of today were the stuff dreams were made of just a few short years ago. Yet again, September 1 does not mean that the threats to democracy or Iraqi progress simply fade away and that 100% of attacks cease.

Truthfully, this next month is a test for all of us. If we are not careful, we could allow media reports to color the perception of the current state of progress in Iraq. We cannot allow one attack or a series of attacks to define the last 7 years of effort in Iraq. The next month will be tough because every spectacular attack the media covers could unwittingly provide fuel to insurgents who are trying to gain a name for themselves, engender support through volunteers and funding, and promote their extremist causes. As Americans we cannot indirectly fuel this effort by allowing ourselves to consume these reports and incidents without first putting them in context. Yes, a successful attack can be horrific, tragic, and sometimes costly to our Soldiers and their Families. However, I ask you to allow yourself to step back for a moment to see the truth in the context of staggering progress, reduction in threats, and great successes that have occurred through the efforts of your Soldiers and the ISF.

I know the next month and period of the Warrior deployment will continue to be tense for everyone. We are still and will remain in harm’s way. Yet my hope is you can rest assured that we are not just capable of defending ourselves, but are actively defending ourselves and protecting each other at all times. We know better than anyone else evil does not just fade away because the mission has changed or we hope it will do so. This is why our task here continues to be so important. We must continue to support the Iraqis as they close the aperture on the insurgent’s hopes and capabilities. We must do all we can to advise, train, assist, and equip the ISF to ensure they can manage the insurgency beyond 2011 when we are no longer by their side. This is our current civil security mission in support of stability operations for Iraq. The weight of responsibility upon our shoulders is great, because we must follow through to the very finish. We must close the U.S. military mission with honor and dignity for ourselves and all of our predecessors, and we must do all we can to ensure a strategic partnership between the U.S. and Iraq endures for decades to come. To do so is in the interest of our nation and the interest of peace in the heart of the Middle East.

Very Respectfully,
Col. Malcolm B. Frost