Maj. Tom Earnhardt, a spokesman for the 82nd, told The Associated Press on Friday that the 1st Brigade will leave Iraq in mid-July and be replaced by the 4th Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.
The unit -- nicknamed "Devils in Baggy Pants" by a German officer in World War II -- is based at Talill Air Base in southern Iraq but operates all over the country protecting convoys along the roads from Kuwait and Jordan into Baghdad.
It is interesting that this unit is involved in convoy security. While we still need troops in the neighborhoods for now to cement the gains of the surge, the road network seems secure enough to draw down a brigade early. Or at least secure enough to transfer the responsibility to Iraqi units.
