November 6, 2008, in Sab al Bour, northwest of Baghdad. Colonel Todd McCaffrey, brigade commander of 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, talks about successes in Sab al Bour with Gen. Ray Odierno, left, commanding general of Multi-National Forces - Iraq.
Through the generous cooperation of the command group of the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I), Armchair General is proud to announce that our upcoming March 2009 issue of the magazine will feature an exclusive 10 Questions interview with Gen. Ray Odierno, the new MNF-I commander. The issue goes to subscribers and hits newsstands in mid-January.
General Ray Odierno assumed command of MNF-Iraq on September 16, 2008, following his assignment as the Commanding General, U.S. Army III Corps, from May 2006 to July 2008. In his Welcome Letter to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Civilians of the MNF-Iraq command, Gen. Odierno emphasized their “hard-earned gains,” but also pointed out that their work is “far from complete” in order to “build a stable, prosperous and sovereign Iraq.”
November 2, 2008. An Iraqi soldier radios in information on an Iraqi civilian (left) while Army Staff Sgt. Justin Wrightman of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, watches. The 1-25 SBCT is partnering with the Iraqi army to clear the Diyala River Valley and disrupt al-Qaida networks and weapons caches in and around the DRV. Photo by Spc. Bobby Allen
General Odierno returned to Iraq to assume command of MNF-I less than seven months after completing a 15-month deployment with III Corps from December 2006 to February 2008, during which he served as the Commanding General, Multi-National Corps-Iraq. As the day-to-day commander of Coalition Forces in Iraq, General Odierno was the operational architect of the Surge and was responsible for implementing the counterinsurgency strategy that led to the dramatic decrease in violence in Iraq in 2007 and 2008.
For Gen. Odierno’s unique insight into the current situation in Iraq, as well as his experienced judgment on what lies ahead, don’t miss our exclusive 10 Questions interview in the March 2009 issue of ACG!
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I would like to let Sgt. Justin P. Wrightman know I miss and love him and I find he is such a smart brave man.