A Third Anniversary in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 20, 2006 — -- As I sit here at Camp Victory, the main military headquarters for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, I am reminded how premature that declaration of victory was after the invasion.

This is my 10th trip to Iraq, and compared to the first one, it is far more dangerous and the future is still unclear. I began making regular visits to Iraq in October 2003, embedding with U.S. troops each time. On that first trip, I flew in with Central Command Cmdr. Gen. John Abizaid. I remember him huddled with his staff on a C17 talking about the hot spots throughout the Sunni Triangle: Baghdad, Samarra, Ramadi. Abizaid was worried about the threat of foreign fighters crossing the borders from Syria, as well.

And today? Those places remain a problem and in many cases are far worse.

On average, there are 75 significant attacks in Iraq every day, and in the last three years, about 700 of those have been carried out by suicide bombers.

But the question most people want answered is this: When can American troops come home?

Late in 2004, I met a young Army specialist named Tanner. I told him that the facilities at Camp Victory had vastly improved since the early days when all the soldiers were living in tents. Soldiers had moved into hardened buildings or trailers with hot showers.

Hot meals were served at a massive and modern dining facility. I told Tanner that he should consider himself lucky. He didn't.

"Ma'am," he said. "I wish we were still living in tents, because when I look around at all this building we have done, I know it means I will probably have to come back someday."

And he is probably right.

The troops that were in the initial invasion just finished a second one-year tour, and many Marines are now on their third or fourth. Last year when I was here, Lt. Gen. John Vines who was then the No. 2 commander in Iraq said that he hoped by June of this year, the 120,000 U.S. troops then in Iraq could be reduced by around 50,000.