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YEAR!!!!!

2012

U.S. Officially Ends Iraqi War During Ceremonies

During military ceremonies today that folded the U.S. Forces-Iraq flag, U.S. military officially ended the war with Iraq, dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom when the war began almost nine years ago, toppling then-dictator Saddam Hussein.
When fighting started in March 2003 with its campaign of shock and awe, the United States was  rescuing the people of Iraq from a tyrant supposedly armed with nuclear weapons. In general knowledge, it turned out that Saddam never had nuclear weapons, and if he did, they were gone by the time U.S. troops arrived or soon thereafter. 

Still, America had toppled Iraq's leader and thrown its military into disarray. President George Bush and the U.S. were obligated to help establish a new government and put the Middle East country back together while trying to stave off the influence of surrounding nations that, mostly, had been kept at bay by Hussein. That proved to be waaaaay easier said than done as the U.S. and its partners gave their time, effort, money and the lives of military personnel fighting insurgents resistant to the U.S. presence, as well as sectarian violence that also had been mostly under control during Saddam's brutal reign.    

Leon Panetta Announces Official End of War
Fox News/Thursday, December 15, 2011

Today, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the war was worth the blood and expense because ii brought democracy to Iraq. During nine years of conflict, some 4,500 Americans lost their lives, 32,000 were wounded, 100,000 Iraqis were killed, and the U.S. spent $800 billion.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/12/15/iraq-leon-panetta-announces-official-end-war/

By Sunday, all combat troops are expected to be out of Iraq, heading into Kuwait as troops return to the U.S. by, or soon thereafter the Christmas holiday.

Part of Miss. 98 Named for Pearl Harbor Veteran

LUCEDALE -- It's been 70 years coming, but A.C. Hillman will receive honor and appreciation that Americans continue to bestow upon servicemen who fought off the air and naval fighters who attacked the country's Pacific fleet in 1941.

A.C. Hillman, now 91, was aboard the USS Utah when Japanese warplanes and submarines attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7 exactly 70 years ago today. A portion of U.S. 98 will be dedicated in his honor this Pearl Harbor Day.

Hillman and other sailors abandoned ship after using a machine gun aboard the USS California, which sank, to help stop the surprise attack that pulled the United States into World War II, something the country had been trying to directly avoid, though there had been some unofficial aide given to countries in Europe. Until that time, the country's attitude had been one of isolation, though the U.S. government and countries in the Pacific had been afraid of Japanese expansion on the region.

Our history books tell us that some 2,400 military and civilian personnel lost their lives that day. It's estimated that half of those who died were aboard the USS Arizona, which was hit by a torpedo early in the attack and sank quickly. Overall, 1,178 were wounded.

More than 21 ships were sunk or damaged, including eight battleships. All but two -- USS Arizona and USS Utah -- were raised and used during World War II, according to wikipedia.

Today, numerous services are being held across the nation, including one in Lucedale that will rename a portion of U.S. 98 in George County for Hill.  The section is between Mississippi 198 and the George-Greene County line.

According to wikipedia, U.S. Route 98 is an east-west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Fla., and Apalachicola, Fla., and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida Peninsula. It runs along much of the Gulf Coast between Mobile, Ala., and Crystal River, Fla., including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile and St. Marks, Fla.

As of 2005, the highway's western terminus is near Washington, Miss., at U.S. Route 61. Its eastern terminus is Palm Beach, Fla., at State Road A1A.

Ceremonies for the A.C. Hillman Highway take place at 6 p.m. today at the George County Middle School Activities Building, 330 Church St., Lucedale.

Because of the ages of the WWII veterans, most in their 80s and 90s, the national Pearl Harbor Survivors Assocation and it local affiliates will disband this year.