IRAQ: American soldiers prepared to leave Camp Adder which is will be signed over to the Iraqi military

Record ID: 346438

  • Title: IRAQ: American soldiers prepared to leave Camp Adder which is will be signed over to the Iraqi military
  • Date: 19th December 2011
  • Summary: CAMP ADDER, SOUTHERN IRAQ (DECEMBER 17, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF US SOLDIER STANDING ON FRONT OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT VARIOUS OF US MILITARY VEHICLES DRIVING AT CAMP ADDER GETTING READY TO LEAVE IRAQ US SOLDIERS SITTING ON THE BACK OF MILITARY VEHICLE US SOLDIER TAKING NAP AT MILITARY VEHICLE SOUNDBITE (English) STAFF SERGEANT FROM BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, CHRISTIAN SCHULTZ FROM LAKE MARTIN, ALABAMA SAYING: "I've got mixed feelings about it, it's good feeling to know that this thing is coming to a close, I was here when it first started and I've seen a lot of progress in this country, a lot of changes. I've got a lot of good memories and alot of bad memories here, so I've kinda got a mixed feelings about the place." MILITARY MEDICAL HELICOPTER US MILITARY AIRCRAFT IN AIR
  • Embargoed: 3rd January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq, Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Conflict,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA5AUKQU7H32QA6ANP8R8B0LYT4
  • Story Text: American soldiers on Saturday (December 19) prepared for their pull out from Camp Adder, holding a last barbacue before their departure.
    "I've got mixed feelings about it, it's good feeling to know that this thing is coming to a close, I was here when it first started and I've seen a lot of progress in this country, a lot of changes. I've got a lot of good memories and alot of bad memories here, so I've kinda got a mixed feelings about the place," said Staff Sergeant Christian Schultz.
    "It's kind of excitement in the air. Guys are excited about being home within a week from this point. They are excited about making the last tactical move for their deployment," military spokesman, Jeff Buchanan said, capturing the mood of troops looking forward to being home for Christmas.
    Hundreds of convoys of military vehicles and civilian trucks have gone south into Kuwait since President Barack Obama last month said troops would leave as scheduled, effectively ending the large-scale U.S. military presence on Iraqi soil.
    The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq after nearly nine years of war is believed to be one of the largest removal jobs in history.
    At the start of the year logistics experts calculated there were nearly 3 million pieces of equipment to be moved, from airplanes, helicopters and tanks to laptops and lights.
    Toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is dead, executed in 2006, and the worst sectarian violence has, at least for now, passed. But Iraq still struggles with insurgents, a fragile power-sharing government and an oil-reliant economy plagued by power shortages and corruption.
    U.S. troops were originally due to stay on as part of a deal to train the Iraqi armed forces, but talks about immunity from prosecution for American soldiers fell apart.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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