Stryker Brigade News

February 24, 2004 -- OVER the coming weeks, a quarter of a million U.S. troops will move into or out of Iraq. The logistics of such a transfer would be formidable even under peaceful conditions in a country with Western-quality infrastructure. No other power in the world could do it in Iraq - or anywhere else.

Our military is going to execute the mission with such skill that it won't make headlines. There'll be brief reports buried in the back pages of our newspapers and a few human interest stories on TV. But the only way this massive event will get onto the front page will be if terrorists pull off a stunt during the operation...

When our soldiers were attacked, they hit back with such ferocity, precision and determination that even hardline al Qaeda operatives in Iraq have admitted to the masters of terror that the U.S. Army cannot be dislodged.

But our soldiers didn't only fight. They built. The contractors with their snouts in the Iraqi trough have a mixed record, but our soldiers have been consistently effective - and economically efficient - in their own reconstruction efforts. And yes, damn it. Our soldiers did win hearts and minds. And they continue to do so...

Iraq remains a brutally dangerous place, a country that will struggle for years with its disastrous past. Progress will be imperfect. Success will be inconsistent. Disappointments will intoxicate the media. But, when all is said and done, Iraq is now the only major country in the Middle East with hope for a better future.

February 27, 2004 -- EARLIER this week, the U.S. Army scored a victory for our national security and the American taxpayer: It killed the Comanche attack-helicopter program, a $40 billion legacy of the Cold War...

Today's chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, is building on the legacy of his predecessor, Gen. Eric Shinseki, who was mocked by defense "intellectuals" for predicting that the occupation of Iraq would require more than 100,000 troops.

Shinseki was also attacked for buying an innovative, cost-effective, wheeled combat vehicle, the Stryker. Disingenuously calling the Stryker a deathtrap, greedy contractors deployed their lawyers to force the Army to buy outdated junk. The Army beat them off. But self-interested critics continued to insist that the Stryker was bound to fail.