Bye Bye Iraq: US troops to withdraw within a matter of hours

Within a matter of hours, all of the 130,000 U.S. combat soldiers stationed in cities around Iraq will have vacated to bases outside of the cities. These actions are a result of an agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments as America slowly hands the reigns off to the Iraqi's as the rebuilding effort in that country continues. The agreement calls for all U.S. troops to leave the country by 2011. 

Six years after George W. Bush declared "mission accomplished" aboard the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, the United States is finally getting the hell out of dodge...but has the mission really been accomplished??

Remember this speech??

Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani to the Associated Press that when the sun rises on Tuesday  "Iraqi citizens will see no U.S. soldiers in their cities. They will see only Iraqi troops protecting them."

Many Iraqi's are ecstatic about this news, and a massive party has been planned on the banks of the Tigris river with performances by popular musicians and a fireworks show. The Iraqi government has declared June 30 a public holiday, "National Sovereignty Day."

The Iraqi government is confident that its forces can combat violence and militant uprisings. There are concerns that with the absence of U.S. troops violence will spike in Iraqi cities. More than 250 people have been killed in little over a week  by bombings.

Attention now shifts to the ongoing struggle to combat the Taliban in the mountainous, rugged terrain of Afghanistan. When you look back on the time our soldiers spent in Iraq, how do you feel? Do you think Iraq is better off now than it was in 2003? 2005? 2007? 

No weapons of mass destruction were ever found. Insurgent violence, IED's, and roadside bombs continue to take the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. There is still much unrest in Iraq and the rest of the region... 

I hope the outcome in Afghanistan will be different, and that we don't declare "mission accomplished" until the mission truly has been accomplished. Considering that troops have been there since 2001 and the Taliban's strength has not been lessened (in fact they seem to be making advances in some territories), suggests that it may take some time to reach a favorable outcome. 

Photos shown of soldiers coffin arriving in U.S. for first time in 18 years

Not since the first Bush administration in 1991 have members of the media been allowed to photograph the arrival of fallen U.S. service members. Today, Sgt. Philllip Myers was the first soldier killed overseas to be photographed as his coffin was ceremoniously carried off an Air Force transport plane in Dover, Delaware. 

Video of Sgt. Myers' arrival.

Today's events are a result of a shift in Pentagon policy, introduced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. In February, Gates ordered a change in the policy that would allow media access to homecoming ceremonies with the consent of that soldiers family. 

Many believe the ban was instituted following a PR blunder by George H.W. Bush in 1989. In a press conference following the U.S. victory ousting Manuel Noreaga in Panama, Bush happily addressed the media. News outlets nationwide broadcasted the press conference simultaneously with the arrival of caskets at Dover, Delaware. The result was the perception that the President seemed to be making light of the situation, as images of the arrival of men and women killed in combat were being shown.

Check out this piece CNN did on the debacle in 1989 and some of the arguments for and against showing these types of images:

What do you think? A picture is worth a thousand words... Should images like these be shown or not? Such images sparked protests and fiery debates during the Vietnam War. In 2004, a military contractor was fired after her photo of flag-draped coffins appeared in the Seattle Times. Critics say that media coverage is only used to politicize the war, while proponents claim the images humanize the war and its costs. 

Sgt. Myers was awarded a Bronze Star in March, 2008 for his service in Iraq. A roadside bomb claimed Sgt. Myers' life on Saturday, April 4 in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.