"Last" Combat Brigade Out as Obama Sends 3rd Armored Cav In with Wounded

Falling down the rabbit hole: Media trumpets Obama's spin that the "last combat brigade" has left Iraq even as the Pentagon acknowledges to AFP that "while the remaining 50,000 troops will no longer have a formal combat mission after September 1, they will be well-armed and possibly coming under fire as they join in manhunts for Al-Qaeda figures or other extremists."

AFP report, "Despite New Mission, U.S. Troops Still in the Fight in Iraq":

"I don't think anybody has declared the end of the war as far as I know," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told MSNBC.

"Counter-terrorism will still be part of their mission," said Morrell, referring to the fight against militant networks.

Meanwhile media blacked-out protests continue this week at Ft. Hood, Texas to block the re-deployment Sunday of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which includes a large number of troops going on their 4th and 5th deployments diagnosed as suffering from PTSD. Ft. Hood is the nation's largest military base.

Iraq Veteran Mike Prysner writes:

As Obama seeks applause for “ending” the war in Iraq, there are busloads of GIs suffering from PTSD, TBI and MST waiting to ship off to another tour in Iraq this month.

For this deployment, however, Fort Hood soldiers have begun standing up. Soldiers inside the unit are reporting a bleak situation regarding the mental health of many of its troops, and have begun organizing with other veterans and supporters to inspire those troops to exercise their right to refuse to let their lives be thrown away.

On July 30, approximately 30 active-duty soldiers, veterans, military families and supporters held a rally outside the gates of Fort Hood with a large banner directed at Colonel Allen, commander of 3rd ACR, which read “Col. Allen ... Do Not Deploy Wounded Soldiers!” Demonstrators also carried placards that read: “Tell the brass: Kiss my ass!” and “They lie, we die!”

The anti-war soldiers' coffee house outside of Ft. Hood is staging a mass demonstration this Sunday, in protest of the 3rd ACR deployment. Under the Hood Cafe's Face Book page says:

This is a nation-wide call to action! Come to Fort Hood, Texas, Aug. 22 to participate in peaceful actions with veterans and anti-war leaders opposing the deployment of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s 5,000 Soldiers to Iraq. This is your invite. Can you attend?

If you cannot attend you can show your solidarity by contacting the White House and asking that the many psychologically wounded of the 3rd Armored Cav not be redeployed. There is really no getting around it: they are asking us to save their lives. Anyone who has ever uttered the words "Support the Troops," your time has come.

CONTACT WHITE HOUSE EMAIL FORM
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

THE NEWS NOT IN THE NEWS: Soldiers, veterans and families protesting outside Ft. Hood, nation's largest military base, all month