Stars in the House...

US Army Europe commander General David McKiernan (C) visits an outpost of US soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, in Baghdad, 17 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

Ready for the weekend? I am...I hope your week has been a good one. For me, well, lets just say life is always interesting - and never predictable.

There are lots of pictures flooding the web showing the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in action and receiving awards. So many, I have to pick and choose what I use. I love to see our warriors in action and also being recognized for their sacrifice and service.

Before we talk photos, I have watched with interest the ongoing discussion on the possibility that deployments could be reduced from 15 to 12 months. Haven't seen the articles? Here are a few:

Casey: 12-month tours possible by this summer

Army May Move to 12-Month Tours Soon

US military chiefs weigh Iraq deployments' strain on force

I think the most important statement in all of this is...Casey cautioned that he is "not going public with that until I'm sure we're not going back" on it.

For those who have pinged me about this reporting...I wouldn't be making any plans just yet...

Photos...

The first two show General David McKiernan, US Army Europe commander, and his visit with 2nd Squadron, 2nd SCR on 17 January. The rest of them are from the AFP embed with the 2-2 SCR as they operate in the Baghdad area. I think they provide us all a feel for the operations our warriors are conducting most every day.

Maybe your loved one is in the eye of the camera? If so, tell us about it by leaving a comment on the blog.

Enjoy!

Chris, we love you son and look forward to your next call. Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

US soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, make a formation at their base in Baghdad, 17 January 2008, during a visit by US Army Europe commander General David McKiernan. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

US Army Europe commander General David McKiernan (L) congratulates SGT Brian Glena after awarding him a medal at the base of US soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, in Baghdad, 17 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.


A US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment walks past an Ashura banner picturing Imam Hussein as they patrol along a Shiite neighbourhood in Baghdad. Clashes between a Shiite messianic sect and security forces in two southern Iraqi cities on Friday killed dozens of cult members, policemen and civilians, marring Ashura religious rituals, officials said. (AFP/Jewel Samad)

A US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment kneels under an Iraqi national flag as he secures an area during a patrolling in a neighborhood in Baghdad, 18 January 2008. The US military said today that it had renewed its air blitz on Al-Qaeda targets south of Baghdad, dropping bombs on sites it said were training camps for the jihadist network. The air strikes were part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a major assault launched on January 8 by US and Iraqi forces on Al-Qaeda, considered by US commanders to be the greatest threat to stability in Iraq. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment gives a hand to Shiite Muslims cooking large pots of food during a patrol of a Baghdad neighborhood under curfew, 18 January 2008. A curfew is on Baghdad and 10 Iraqi provinces during the three-day peak of Shiite Islam's festival of Ashura. Clashes between a Shiite messianic sect and security forces in two Iraq cities marred annual Ashura rituals today as radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a sharp warning to the government. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

An Iraqi boy greets US soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment guarding an area as they patrol a Shiite neighbourhood during a curfew in Baghdad, 18 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

An Iraqi boy walks past US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment guards as they patrol a Shiite neighborhood during a curfew in Baghdad, 18 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

A US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment inspects an abandoned house in an abandoned Sunni neighborhood during a curfew in Baghdad, 18 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.

An elderly Iraqi man looks on as a US soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment patrols along a Shiite neighborhood during a curfew in Baghdad, 18 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.


US soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, search an area as they investigate news regarding bombs found in a residential neighborhood in Baghdad, 16 January 2008. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images.