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New Iraq tour for Fort Lewis Strykers

Nov- 8-2005 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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By Mike Barber, The Seattle P-I

It's official.

Fort Lewis' 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the nation's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is in the mix to return to Iraq next year.

The 4,000-member brigade, developed at Fort Lewis as part of the Army's "transformation" to 21st-century warfare, is among eight major units from around the nation that will be sent to Iraq beginning in mid-2006 in a regular rotation to relieve others.

The brigade operated from Mosul from the autumn of 2003 to the autumn of 2004 as the keystone of U.S. military operations in northern Iraq.

In the past year, the 2nd Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team has been preparing and training for a possible return.

"They are well into training and preparations to return to Iraq. They just returned from Yakima and will be heading to the National Training Center in California in March," Fort Lewis spokeswoman Tammy Reed said.

Not everyone who was in the brigade's first deployment is necessarily returning for a second deployment, Reed said. Some soldiers remain, but others moved to other units in the Army or left the service. [...]


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