4000 strong

Photo by Eric Engman

Around 4000 troops will be leaving. More photos at the News Miner.

“This wolf pack of thousands of warriors, they’re going to fly from this beauty of Alaska and the warmth of their dinners at home and they’re going to land in a war zone where the enemy is fighting us,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Layfield, the commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska. “They’re trying to hurt our country and they’re trying to hurt our families. You are looking at over 4,000 reasons as to why that will never happen.”

"For many of the soldiers at the ceremony, this will be a return trip to Iraq. About half the 1-25th is made up of soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the Fort Wainwright unit which had an extended 16-month tour in Iraq in 2005 and 2006." Chris Freiberg