Five Years In: Ambassador, Troops Speak

Mar. 15, 2008— -- It has been almost five years since a coalition of armed forced led by the United States invaded Iraq. Since then, seemingly everything planned for at the outset of the war has now changed: the mission, the strategy, the allies, the enemies, the budgets and the lives of millions of military families.

"Good Morning America Weekend" is hosting special coverage live from Camp Victory in Baghdad this weekend to find out where things stand since 2003. They spoke with the military, the diplomats, the families, the wounded and many more.

Currently, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who is trying desperately to get the shattered nation back together, is calling for Americans to exercise "strategic patience." Meanwhile for Iraqis in Baghdad trying to get on with their lives, there are signs of improvement amidst the devastation on the streets.

It is well documented that the initial planning for this war was a disaster, and just over a year ago, leaders tried a last ditch desperate effort: a surge of 30,000 additional troops.

Here's a quick look at the numbers since the first month of the surge:

U.S. Soldiers Killed: January '07 – 83; January '08 – 40 *Department of Defense

Iraqi Civilians Killed: January '07 – 2800; January '08 – 450

*Department of Defense

Violent Attacks Per Day: June '07 – 180; January '08 – 60

*Government Accountability Office

Ambassador Crocker

A year before the war, the one person who predicted this turn of events was Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Due to political infighting in Washington though, he wasn't brought in to help until January, 2007.

Crocker is responsible for the political side of the surge, trying to get this fledgling government to take control of their broken country. He is the diplomatic equivalent of a four-star general -- fluent in Arabic, a survivor of the 1983 embassy bombing in Lebanaon and has held top posts in terrorism hot spots since 9/11.

"I have a lot of days when I'm deeply frustrated out here. Sometimes I need to remind myself that, given the challenges and the damage that has been done, in many respects, it's amazing they're making the kinds of political progress they are," Crocker said.

Even with American might behind him, Crocker says he can only do so much. The future is now in the hands of Iraqi politicians who have no experience in government. Since their constitution gives veto power to everyone, ethnic or personal squabbles can undo months of progress. Americans need to exercise what he calls "strategic patience."

One point of hope Crocker sees is symbolic. "They agreed to amend the design of the Iraqi flag. That means that flag is now flying in all parts of the country," he said.

Democrats have argued that a time table for withdrawal would spur the Iraqis into more decisive leadership. Crocker disagrees.

"If the Iraqis believe we're heading for the exits, they will be less likely to compromise, more concerned about the security of their particular communities. I think that's when the political debate stops, the trade-offs in parliament come to a halt, and everybody starts rearming and reloading…that's when you start digging trenches," he said.

Currently Crocker says part of the dialogue is encouraging the Iraqis to pick up to the pace, but that results will not come quickly.

"This is going to be a long process. We can't think we're tired of the movie, we're just going to change the channel and go on to other things and it doesn't matter anymore because this movie goes on with or without us. Certainly it's my judgment that without us these next few reels are going to be far, far worse than the reels we've already seen.

More troops is just one reason for the drop in violence. There has also been a stunning change in attitude, both by American troops and the Sunni insurgents they used to fight. "GMAW" found a vivid example on one street in West Baghdad."

Life On The Streets

On the streets of Baghdad the demeanor of the soldiers has softened, and there are even signs that Sunnis and Shiites are joining forces to protect the city.

While there are still plenty of horrific attacks, dozens per day, the numbers from June are down by more than half.

There are still fingers on triggers, still tension in the air, and raw sewage in the street, but instead of the killing zone seen here just months ago, there are friendly greetings here today. For example, "GMAW" spotted flowers at a checkpoint, kids on their way to school and a modest public works yard under construction.

"There's no concept of peace, there's the absence of violence. I do believe we're getting on with business," said Lieutenant Corporal Kevin Pettit, who's currently serving in Iraq.

Since American and Iraqi soldiers built an outpost on this street they are now round-the-clock neighbors, and recognize faces and eat at the local spots.

Perhaps the most stunning transformation though can be seen among a group of soldiers working at checkpoint: on either side, a Shiite soldier and cop, and in the middle a Sunni, all hired into a sort of neighborhood watch program called "The Sons of Iraq."

In recent months 90,000 young men, many of them former Sunni insurgents, grew tired of fighting both Americans and Al Qaeda, so they switched sides and are now on the American payroll.

The military is using the money as an enticement but say they also see a change in attitude. "It is a job. It's $350, which is a lot of money to a young man for his family. It is also very risky, though, so they wouldn't come over to this side if they weren't trying to provide security to their neighborhood, said Colonel Bill Hickman.

Under Crocker's guidance the U.S. in now also employing another kind of weapon against the chaos: cultural and political advisors.

John Bennett is a 66-year-old ambassador who came out of retirement to help. Early in this war, soldiers were told to kick down doors. Now he's teaching troops a more diplomatic approach.

Recently they've offered to help finance a generator for an Internet café owner if he promises to power his block. They've also encouraged an upstart political party to run for office in the neighborhood council.

"They gave themselves a name, and it was called 'The Best Person's Council.' So we had a lot of fun with that, because when you are in 'The Best Person's Council,' it's nice, you can discriminate against the worst people," joked Pettit.

Now that the U.S. has spent more time fighting in Iraq than in World War II, Americans are wondering what has changed. To those on the ground in Iraq, the answer is everything.

Olivia Sterns contributed writing to this report.