Soldiers wave to the last American military convoy to leave Iraq. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photo: Mario Tama/2011 Getty Images
The last U.S. military convoy of about 25 military trucks and 100 armored vehicles, carrying the remaining 500 active duty troops (most based in Fort Hood, Texas), crossed out of Iraq at daybreak Sunday. The final pullout was even kept secret from the soldiers’ Iraqi counterparts to avoid any final attacks, says the AP. But at the Kuwait border, it turned into a jubilant scene as the column of horn-honking and whooping soldiers were greeted by their fellow servicemembers. Although a final contingent of 150 or so will stay behind for training purposes, this effectively closes out one of the longest wars in U.S. history, having cost nearly 4,500 American lives and $1 trillion, with more than 20 times more Iraqi lives lost.
