Thank you to the loyal readers and supporters of The Colorado Independent (2013-2020). The Indy has merged with the new nonprofit Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) on a new mission to strengthen local news in Colorado. We hope you will join us!
The Gazettewrites today on Fort Carson’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, based in Colorado Springs. The reported 3,600 soldier strong team is supposed to come home next month, after a second tour of duty in Iraq.
But, if an Army plan to keep the current amount of soldiers in Iraq until 2010 is realized, that may mean yet another deployment for the Brigade. From the article:
That could mean the Pentagon will follow through on contingency plans to send Fort Carson’s 3,600-soldier 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team back to war in October 2007, less than a year after its planned return to Colorado next month.
…
The return trip to Iraq would be the brigade’s third deployment there since the war began in 2003. The possibility of the return was explained to soldiers by brigade commanders in July and drew mixed reactions.
Some soldiers said there is nothing surprising about the quick turnaround and expressed willingness to return to war. Others said the spectre of a third war tour has hurt morale in the unit and devastated families who expected the Army to follow through on stated goals to start giving soldiers two years at home between war tours.
The Army also said that redeployment might not happen if troop levels are reduced, although there are no clear plans for that in the future.
