Vice President Joe Biden says Fort Drum’s 2nd Brigade deserves “a hero’s welcome” for its work training security forces in Iraq. Biden made a personal visit to the Army base near Watertown yesterday. He said it’s the “dawn of a new era in Iraq” as the U.S. prepares to draw down 95,000 troops from the country. The security situation improved so much that Iraqi military and police took control more quickly than expected. That allowed the 2nd brigade to return home three months early. David Sommerstein was at Fort Drum for the vice president’s visit and has our story.
The 10th Mountain Division band gets to play lots
of songs before a vice-presidential visit. Extra security keeps thousands of
soldiers and their families waiting for hours. The huge hanger is adorned with camouflaged
netting, a helicopter, and an American flag the size of a house. People wile
away the time hugging, high-fiving, and celebrating an early return.
For Patricia Antequiera, there was lots to be thankful for. “Oh
ecstatic, we were just so thankful. As you can see, I’m still emotional about
it,” she said. Antequiera’s husband returned last Saturday. She says she and
her three children are relieved he’s home. And now they’re thrilled that the
Bidens are here to greet them. “I feel like wow, for them to take that time out
of their very busy schedule to welcome them home—it just really shows that
everyone’s important,” she said.
The 10th Mountain Division’s second brigade holds
a special significance. It was one of the first units sent to fight Al-Quaida
in the mountains of Afghanistan
after September 11th. It served in Iraq 3 times. Sergeant Christian
Webber’s been there twice—first in 2007, when he saw a violent country torn
apart by sectarian fighting. “The people didn’t really trust the army or
anybody else, they felt like they were alone. But since coming back this
deployment, the federal police were doing their own thing, the Iraqi army were
doing their own thing, the people were more confident with what were doing now
than what we did back then,” Webber said.
According to army officials, insurgent attacks were down 59%
this year. Here at Fort Drum, the Obama administration is kicking off a
series of events drawing attention to the stability in Iraq and the withdrawal of US
troops.
The vice pride president arrived at the adorned hanger to
much fanfare. Once there, he praised the second brigade for their role in
training Iraqi security forces quickly. “With your help, Iraqi leaders and
security forces persevered and are succeeding. And therefore those who sought
to make chaos destruction the hallmark of the new Iraq—they have failed because of
you,” Biden proclaimed to applause and cheers.
Biden said President Obama was fulfilling a campaign vow of
pulling US troops out of Iraq
by the end of next year. He recalled visiting Iraq
shortly after the war began and Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad was pulled down. “I was looking forward
to the day when I could stand by you as your mission began to near its end. One
month from now, as President Obama pledged, America’s
combat mission in Iraq
will end.”
Biden made no mention of President Bush or his troop surge
that the then-Senator Biden opposed. But he did refer to the Walter Reid
scandal and under-protected humvees, and called the Iraq war “confusing” and one that
President Obama “inherited.” Biden and his wife Jill paid special attention to
the challenges military families face at home. Their son Beau fought in Iraq for a
year. “I’ll never forget the joy and the tremendous relief I felt when our son
came home from his deployment in Iraq. So I know how much your
families missed you, how proud they are of your service, and how happy they are
to have you back home,” Dr. Jill Biden said.
The Obama administration faces escalating violence on the
other war front in Afghanistan,
not to mention the resignation of a so-called runaway general and the release
of reams of classified documents. Many of these soldiers here at Fort Drum
will likely fight in that dangerous war zone. So on this day, Vice President
Biden cast his gaze to Iraq.
He closed saying he was proud of the soldiers who helped stabilize the
situation there. Sergeant Donnette Irving of the Bronx,
who came on Saturday, agreed. “One percent of the US population serves the military.
One percent. I’m proud to be here, I’m proud to do this," she said.
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