The dust of Iraq still clung to the items crammed inside Spc. Blythe Briggs’ rucksack when she landed thousands of miles away in chilly Spokane. “I feel bad for her,” her brother, Austin Briggs, 20, said before she deplaned at Spokane International Airport late Friday. “She’s going to have climate shock.” Briggs, a 25-year-old Army medic with the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, of Fort Hood, Texas, was among the last American soldiers to leave Iraq as the nearly 9-year-old war came to a close. When she arrived in Spokane, she exchanged a tight embrace with her mother, Ruth Briggs. “I’m back,” she told her mother as the two hugged. “I told you I’d make it”/Chelsea Bannach, SR. More here. (SR photo)

DFO: My niece “Hannah Banana” (family nickname) is staying in Post Falls for a couple of weeks with her parents after finishing her second tour of duty in the Mideast (Afghanistan & Iraq). Army Reserve Capt. Hannah Banana gave her parents, grandmother, & brother flags that had flown on Blackhawk helicopters in those war zones for Christmas. It was great to watch them open those wonderful gifts. It was greater still to have her back and in one piece. Best. Christmas. Present. Of all.

Question: Have you had a friend of loved one who recently returned from a tour of duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan?

After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq — a conflict that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the price in blood and money, as it set Iraq on a path to democracy. Panetta stepped off his military plane in Baghdad Thursday as the leader of America’s war in Iraq, but will leave as one of many top U.S. and global officials who hope to work with the struggling nation as it tries to find its new place in the Middle East and the broader world. More than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion in 2003, according to the Iraq Body Count website. Bombings and gun battles are still common. And experts are concerned about the Iraqi security force’s ability to defend the nation against foreign threats/AP. More here. (AP photo: rmy soldiers salute during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, earlier today)

Question: Was it worth it?

President Obama announced Friday that the United States will withdraw nearly all troops from Iraq by the end of the year, effectively bringing the long war in Iraq to an end. “After nearly 9 years, America's war in Iraq will be over,” said Mr. Obama, who said the last American troops will depart the country “with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the american people stand united in our support for our troops” by January 1st. “Our troops are finally coming home,” he added, saying they “will definitely be home for the holidays.” America has withdrawn nearly 100,000 troops from Iraq already as part of the current draw-down, and about 40,000 troops - who are deemed “non-combat” - remain/Brian Montopoli, CBS News. More here. (AP photo)

Question: With Osama bin Laden dead, Moammar Gaddafi dead, and the Iraqi war almost over, is it time to give President Barack Obama credit for running U.S. foreign policy well?

Hundreds of friends, family and service members gathered in a Coeur d’Alene church today for the memorial of two young soldiers killed recently in Iraq. Sgt. Nathan R. Beyers, 24, and Spc. Nicholas W. Newby, 20, of Coeur d’Alene, were remembered as being dedicated servicemen who always upheld the Soldier’s Creed. “They always placed the mission first and never accepted defeat,” said Brig. Gen. Alan Gayhart. Beyers and Newby, who were assigned to 145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Post Falls, Idaho, were killed by an improvised explosive device on July 7 in Baghdad. “Those two are like brothers,” said Sgt. Joseph Rozewicz. “They loved to hang out a lot, play pranks on each other. They’re both … my biggest heroes”/Chelsea Bannach, SR. More here.

Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle

After months of training in Idaho and Mississippi, hundreds of members of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team are now on their way to Iraq. At about 10:40MT Sunday morning, the first jumbo jet took off from Gulfport International Airport in Mississippi. It was filled with the first batch of Idaho Citizen Soldiers, prepared to serve their country in Iraq. It’s the first wave of a 4-day sendoff for the 116th. “There is an element of them being nervous and apprehensive about what they’re going to face when they get over there,” said Colonel Tim Marsano of the Idaho National Guard. “But I can tell you that they are extremely well-trained”/Justin Corr, KTVB. More here.

• Cutline: A family farewell:Pvt. 1st Class Brian Borkoski says goodbye to his wife, Cassi Borkoski, and his 14-month-old daughter, Magdalena, at the National Guard Armory in Post Falls on Tuesday. (SR file photo from mid-September: Kathy Plonka)
• Idaho Press-Tribune editorial tribute
  

Question: My niece, a lieutenant in the National Guard, is about to deploy for a second time to the Middle East. She served in Afghanistan last year. Now, she’s going to Iraq. Do you have a friend or loved one deployed in the Middle East?

Heller/Hellertoons

Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily

Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer

Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle

President Barack Obama reads his speech for photographers after delivering a primetime televised address marking the the end of combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Los Angeles Times story here. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Question: Was Iraq worth it? Is our growing military presence and casualties in Afghanistan worth it?

Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle

Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily

Item: Obama to pull troops out of Iraq by end of August 2010/Reuters

More Info: President Barack Obama said on Friday he would pull U.S. combat troops out of Iraq in 18 months as he unveiled a new strategy that stressed diplomacy and engagement with foes like Iran and Syria. Winding down the Iraq war will allow Obama to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan, which he has declared the central front in the U.S. fight against terrorism. He hopes it will also help him slash a ballooning $1.3 trillion budget deficit.

Question: Do you support Obama’s decision to pull troops out of Iraq in 18 months?