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Soldiers on the ground offer mixed assessment

Apr- 8-2008 » Filed Under: 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment

2nd SCR soldiers are featured in the following article.

By Richard Tomkins, Washington Times

FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq — Behind the recitation of facts and figures by Gen. David H. Petraeus in Capitol Hill testimony beginning today, the fluctuating moods and emotions of U.S. troops here are much harder to gauge.

Do the Americans — many of whom have survived multiple deployments of more than a year at a time — see the surge as a success? Do they see Iraqis making progress, taking responsibility for public safety, their own lives and their nation's future?

Responses vary from day to day and often depend on when the questions are asked. [...]

"[The Iraqis] were shocked when we came. When we got here, we walked around and the people didn"t even want to make eye contact with us," said Sgt. Rudy Parreno of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. "They were scared. All they heard from al Qaeda were these stereotypical things about American forces. It took them a little while to gain a sense of trust.

"An older man with his family came up to me the other day and said that for the first time, he and his family have been able to have a good night's rest. That means a lot. That lets you know that everything you're doing in sector is paying off. You're making a difference."


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