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As the U.S. war in Iraq draws to its anticipated finish, Utah will continue to contribute its citizen soldiers through the end of the year, when all American troops are scheduled to leave the country.
While the U.S. casualty count has fallen precipitously in Iraq — from more than 900 deaths in 2007 to 60 last year — military leaders say the situation remains volatile and could become more so as U.S. forces continue a rapid transfer of security roles to their Iraqi counterparts.
Two Utah National Guard units are currently in Iraq and at least two more are scheduled to enter that theater of operations in coming months. The combined deployments will give Utah its biggest presence in several years and may draw the state Guard's overall mobilization number over 1,000 for the first time since 2007. The slight uptick in deployments — last year's peak number was about 850 — comes after hundreds of Utah citizen soldiers have completed at least one deployment.
Lt. Col. Brad Fuller, who will command the 500-member 222nd Field Artillery when it moves out this summer, said it gives him confidence to be mobilizing with so many soldiers who understand the hardships of a combat tour of duty.
"I'd say 60 or 70 percent have done a deployment before," Fuller said.
Utah Guard officials have stressed that retention and recruitment numbers have remained strong despite the virtual assurance that, during a time of war on two fronts, those who put on a Guard uniform are likely to be deployed into combat.
Fuller cautiously noted that much has changed in Iraq since the Triple Deuce's last deployment there in 2005, a year in which the Iraqi insurgency grew more powerful and violent. The unit, which was headquartered in the volatile Sunni stronghold of Ramadi, endured routine on-base rocket and mortar fire and was the frequent victim of roadside bomb attacks. Two soldiers attached to the unit were killed in the violence and many were injured.
Now, "What we're hearing is that it's night-and-day different, and the Iraqis have taken some really significant security steps forward," Fuller said.
But Fuller said his worst fear is that his soldiers — who are training to perform security operations instead of the unit's traditional artillery role — might become complacent.
"When you go over for a mission-specific role, when you're having to pay attention to all the dangers that are constant, it's easier to stay focused," he said. "It's great that things are going better in Iraq, but there are still people out there who have dangerous passions and beliefs and who are willing to die."
Indeed, that's what Utah social scientist Joseph Diaz recently learned while conducting interviews on behalf of the Army in Ramadi, the most populous city in Iraq's western Anbar Province.
Diaz, who began work with the U.S. military's Human Terrain System project in Iraq last summer, was conducting interviews on the morning of Dec. 19 when he and his Army escorts were ambushed by a man with an assault rifle.
"There were bullets crashing all into the wall and ground around where we were," Diaz said.
Diaz said the small group was pinned behind a wall for nearly 10 minutes until another unit of soldiers in an armored vehicle parked in front of the shooter in order to provide cover.
Others in recent weeks have not been so fortunate. Five U.S. service members in Iraq have been killed under hostile conditions since the beginning of the year, including two who died when an Iraqi soldier opened fire on his American trainers, the Defense Department reported. A third American service member was wounded in the ambush before other U.S. service members returned fire, killing the attacker.
The attack occurred near the city of Mosul, where members of the Utah-based 141st Military Intelligence Battalion are stationed.
After years of skirmishes with local insurgents, the ethnically diverse, northern Iraqi city was relatively quiet for most of 2010. And for Brigham City native Tyler Adams, quiet is good. The 29-year-old father of two did his first tour of duty in Mosul in 2007.
"There was definitely a lot more going on then," said Adams, who returned to Iraq in March. "It's a lot nicer this time around."
One sacrifice: "I was kind of hoping to see a little more of Iraq this time," he said. But owing to the current status-of-forces agreement with the Iraqi government, "we can't go anywhere without the Iraqi police or the Iraqi army, so there are a lot fewer people going on missions."
But on balance, the Army medic said, he'd much rather know that the security situation in Iraq is better now.
"Last time around I was taking care of gunshot wounds and bomb blasts," he said.
"This time it's aches and pains, cold and flu. I'll take that any day."