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Obama Marks End of Iraq War in Speech at Fort Bragg

We’ve all waited anxiously for the end of the war in Iraq and now, we have hope that the end of the United States’ military era that President Bush began may be around the corner.  During the 2008 election, Obama promised to end the war, and our nine year stint in Iraq seems to be near over.  As the GOP candidates gear up for their showdown, the spotlight has been cast back on Obama as he promises to close this nine year chapter in our nation’s history.

As the President welcomes our troops home, we can all find something to be happy about and agree with each other just in time for the holidays.  Despite the fact that the pending election is gearing people up into their usual caustic pre-election political modes, the majority of Americans support Obama’s decision, including Republicans, who have also largely come to the conclusion that the war has been a waste of both human life and American money.

Many have argued that this pleasant homecoming from Iraq is, in fact, motivated by the Obama administration’s disagreements with the Iraqi government, who sought the ability to prosecute U.S. soldiers for any crimes that were committed on their soil.  Addressing a crowd in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Obama welcomed the troops home; “As your commander in chief and on behalf of a grateful nation, I'm proud to finally say these two words - welcome home, welcome home, welcome home.”

Obama expressed his gratitude to the troops and reinforced the rhetoric of freedom that we have heard so much about over the course of the last nine years; "Because of you -- because you sacrificed so much for a people that you had never met, Iraqis have a chance to forge their own destiny.  That's part of what makes us special as Americans. Unlike the empires of old, we did so not for territory or for resources. We do it because it's right.”  The now free Iraqis had an estimated civilian death toll of 100,000.

Obama reminded the soldiers that the war, which has claimed the lives of 4,485 U.S. soldiers, was not in vain, as many have suggested; “"everything that American troops have done in Iraq - all the fighting and all the dying, bleeding and building, training and partnering - all of it has led us to this moment of success."

He went on to recognize the emotional hardships endured by military families at home; “"So today, as we mark the end of the war, let us acknowledge, let us give a heartfelt round of applause for every military family that has carried that load over the last nine years.  You too have the thanks of a grateful nation."

Despite the fact that the numbers will be greatly diminished, over 17,000 troops and security contractors who will provide security for the United States embassy will remain in Iraq.  Troops will also be increasing in the surrounding regions.