Soldiers' Doubts Build as Duties Shift

Cormier, a 19-year veteran, characterized as unwise a recent deal that ended heavy fighting between U.S. Marines and insurgents in Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim stronghold for Hussein loyalists. After intense fighting last month, Marine commanders brought in former officers of Hussein's army to take charge there. The city has since been quiet, yet Marines continue to take casualties in nearby areas, mostly from roadside bombs.

"This was a defeat for the Marines," Cormier said. "They didn't resolve the problem."

Task Force 1-36 was dispatched to Karbala this week to reinforce another 1st Armored Division unit that has been battling Sadr militiamen. American officials contend that the cleric presents a threat to U.S. designs to transform Iraq into a democracy. His uprising has engendered six weeks of turmoil in a half-dozen Shiite cities in the south and his forces continue to dominate two cities, Najaf and Kufa. The Mahdi Army controlled central Karbala until this week, when its fighters suddenly disappeared from the streets.

U.S. commanders want to end the violence before the planned transfer of limited authority to a new interim Iraqi government on June 30. Pacifying the Shiites is key; they make up about 60 percent of Iraq's population and were relatively receptive to the U.S. invasion last year that toppled Hussein. In central Iraq, tens of thousands of American troops are also bogged down trying to put down a year-long rebellion by Sunni Muslims.

In conversations with Company A soldiers, pessimistic outlooks appear to predominate, although some express positive views on the direction of the occupation. Frequently, opinions varied according to rank. The higher the rank, it seemed, the greater the tolerance for uncertainties in Iraq. The more likely a soldier was to make a career of the Army, the deeper his expressions of enthusiasm and the more muted his criticism.

Lt. Col. Sexton, the battalion commander, is aware of the doubts and complaints of some of his troops, but regards them as misplaced. Overthrowing Hussein and hunting down Shiite rebels are two sides of one mission, he argues. "It's all for the same reason, to build a democracy and to better Iraq. The war is the same," he said. "If what we do gives Iraqi citizens instead of armed mobs the chance to make their own decisions, that's what's important."

The extension of the 1st Armored Division's tour of duty is an acceptable necessity, Sexton indicated. "Is it a question of planning? I don't know. If it keeps our brothers in other units safe, then it's worth it. If staying a little longer helps, then it's worth it. We would expect the same of others," he said.

Capt. Buckley O'Day, the commander of Company A, said he was "willing to stay another three years" to stabilize Iraq. "The enemies of the future are the enemies of us. Making Iraq a democracy can change the whole Middle East," O'Day said.

O'Day and Spec. Bromley, the Bradley gunner, share similar stocky builds and small home towns near Dallas, but their views on the prospects for success in Iraq are continents apart. On Saturday evening, as they were loading up for a nighttime operation in a small village, the pair exchanged views. Sweating under the weight of flak jackets, helmets and rifles , the two comrades gathered close, a gesture usually reserved for the arrival of somebody's latest issue of Maxim magazine.

"Last May, possibly, there was a chance for this thing to succeed. People were happy. Then we started arresting people" for carrying ammunition, said Bromley, referring to operations to disarm Iraqis in Baghdad. "It's been easy for enemy recruiters. They just wait for something bad to happen, like if someone shoots up a family. They just have to wait, and the recruits come in."

"They don't have to like us, they just have to want to succeed and make Iraq better," O'Day responded.

"The Iraqis don't trust us," Bromley went on.

"That's why we can't abandon the fight now," O'Day shot back.

The debate ended with an order to roll the Bradleys out of the dusty lot. The objective was the town of Husseiniya, where, Company A was told, insurgents and weaponry were sheltered in a cluster of houses.