Army Unit to Serve Third Tour in Iraq

Army unit ordered to serve third tour in Iraq

Nov 18, 6:16 AM (ET)By ROBERT BURNS

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which helped lead the charge to Baghdad at the outset of the war, will return next year and become the first Army division to serve three tours in Iraq.

More than 3 1/2 years into the war, the Army and Marine Corps are straining to keep a steady flow of combat and support forces to Iraq while giving the troops sufficient time between deployments for rest and retraining.

Both services are far short of their goal of providing two years between deployments; the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry, for example, will have spent barely more than 12 months at home when it returns next year. The same is true for the division's 1st Brigade, which officials have said is scheduled to deploy again in January. >>>cont

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a member of the Iraq Study Group, calls for her car as she leaves the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006, after taking part in another day of meetings and a teleconference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)