Free Republic

Ceremony 'Weighs Heavily' As Unit Colors Passed On By Pfc. Chris Jones, USASpecial to American Forces Press Service BABYLON, Iraq, Nov. 3, 2003 – In the arid, ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, soldiers of the 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) watched Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, 101st commander, pass their unit's colors to a new commander here Nov. 2. Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), passes the 716th Military Police Battalion guide-on to Lt. Col. Ashton L. Hayes, signifying the battalion's change of command to Hayes Nov. 2 after the death...

<p>AL-SAJR, Iraq &#8212; U.S. soldiers backed by rocket-firing helicopters attacked a farmhouse yesterday, killing three Iraqis and wounding three others, villagers said. The U.S. military said soldiers followed guerrillas into this village after a patrol was ambushed.</p> <p>Afterward, five craters ranging up to 10 feet wide and 3 feet deep could be seen in the courtyard of the farmhouse. A sixth rocket had crashed through the roof. The yard was strewn with broken glass, and one side of the building was pocked with bullet holes.</p>

Viewed from a water tower in An Najaf, Iraq, 164 U.S. Marines of Baker Company First Battalion, Seventh Marines pay their respects to their fellow Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The Marines represent the last remaining Marine infantry battalion in Iraq fighting the war on terrorism. U.S. Marine Corps photo by1st Lt. Kyle Pirnat U.S. Marines Turn Over ReinsTo Plus Ultra Spanish Brigade By Army Staff Sgt. David Bennett AN NAJAF, Iraq(Sept. 24, 2003) —The last Marine battalion in southern Iraq is finally returning home. For the Marines of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, the news...

NAJAF, Iraq, Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Marines handed over on Tuesday to a Spanish-led force in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, scene of the country's deadliest postwar bomb attack which killed more than 80 people including a top Shi'ite cleric. At a ceremony in bright sunshine on the outskirts of Najaf, U.S. Marine Brigadier General John Kelly transferred authority to Brigadier General Alfredo Cardona of the Spanish army. "We've spilled blood to hand this province over to you," Kelly said sombrely in an address to the Spanish-led force, recalling the Marines' key role in the war that...

US troops are set to hand over control of Najaf to Salvadoran, Honduran and Spanish troops, delegating authority in the troubled Iraqi holy city that is home to a restive Shiite Muslim population. The US Marines said that Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Woodbridge of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment would pass the flag to Spanish Brigadier General Alfredo Cardona in a ceremony on Tuesday. Major Jose Luis Sanchez Falero said that in the last two days, the Salvadoran and Honduran battalions had received all the equipment they had been missing, including vehicles and communications gear. "The transfer of control of Najaf...