FOB LOYALTY — A battalion-sized element of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived here by helicopter over the past week, nearly doubling the base population.
The soldiers — from the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C. — are part of the increase of 21,500 U.S. troops ordered by President Bush in early January. The extra troops, whose tour is open-ended, are to help Iraqi forces quell violence in their country, particularly in Baghdad.
Roughly half of the battalion will stay at FOB Loyalty, while the others will move to FOB Rustamiyah, a much larger U.S. outpost about four miles down the road, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the 2nd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The 2nd BCT is in charge of the East Baghdad area, including the two bases.
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The soldiers — from the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C. — are part of the increase of 21,500 U.S. troops ordered by President Bush in early January. The extra troops, whose tour is open-ended, are to help Iraqi forces quell violence in their country, particularly in Baghdad.
Roughly half of the battalion will stay at FOB Loyalty, while the others will move to FOB Rustamiyah, a much larger U.S. outpost about four miles down the road, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the 2nd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The 2nd BCT is in charge of the East Baghdad area, including the two bases.
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(Photo: Pvt. Jonathan Duque, 20, of Houston, a member of Company D of the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, sweeps the Kuwait dust out the inside of his Humvee at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Baghdad, Iraq. Duque and the rest of the 82nd Airborne battalion, have arrived in Iraq this week as part of the increase of 21,000 troops ordered earlier this month.)
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