McMaster Comes Home

The legendary commander of 3rd Armored Cavalry is back, and he's missing Iraq already:

Col. H.R. McMaster loves his wife Katie and their children, but the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment commander who arrived home Thursday morning is already missing Iraq. “It’s difficult to leave,” said McMaster, who led his 5,200 soldier regiment in battles that reclaimed the insurgent-held city of Tal Afar. “I don’t think we realized how hard it would be.”

His troops will be remembered as the tamers of Tal Afar:

“Tal Afar is a completely different city now,” McMaster said, noting how his soldiers, who entered the city aboard tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, were able to patrol on foot by the time they left. “They were swarmed by children,” he said. Schools were reopened, and Iraqis stepped up to govern the city. Najim Abdulla Abid Al-Jibouri, Tal Afar’s mayor, described members of the regiment as “the lion-hearts who liberated our city,” in a recent proclamation. McMaster used similar terms to describe the Iraqis, who shared hardships with the Americans and lived on the same bases. “They’re not going to let these terrorists come back to Tal Afar,” he said.

Welcome home Colonel, and may the troops left behind enjoy equal success!