Six of twelve lucky servicemen set for early rotation home aboard Air Force One


Al-Anbar, Iraq (Rotters) - Citing tremendous successes with his surge strategy during a surprise visit to Iraq, President Bush today announced that the Pentagon would be able to begin sending a number of GIs home early. A dozen serviceman will accompany the president to Australia for his meeting with Australian President John Howard and the APEC conference, after which they will return home to an early discharge if desired, with full honors.

It's taken nearly five years, but by employing all that hard work you've talked about, you've reached a very significant milestone: you're now responsible for the deaths of more Americans than Osama Bin Laden.

An early report from CNN:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A roadside bomb Thursday killed 10 Marines while they were on "foot patrol near Falluja," the Marine Corps said Friday.

The Marines were from Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Eleven Marines were also wounded in the incident, and four of them have not yet returned to duty.

The improvised explosive device was "fashioned from several large artillery shells," the Marine Corps said.

Marines have been conducting "counterinsurgency operations" in the Falluja and Ramadi areas ahead of the December 15 elections.

Coming two days after Bush's "Victory" speech, this evokes a particular bitterness with the grief.

Ed Schultz has just reported on his radio program that we've reached the 2100 KIA count in Iraq. The total was reached with the death of three US soldiers in two separate attacks, reported by AP:

The U.S. military said a U.S. soldier assigned to the 2nd Marine Division was killed after a bomb detonated near his vehicle Monday near Habaniyah, 50 miles west of Baghdad. There are several U.S. Army units assigned to the Marine division.

In addition, two soldiers from Task Force Freedom were killed Saturday by small arms fire while on patrol in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, another statement said.

As of Tuesday, at least 2,100 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,638 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

May they now rest in peace.