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| Iraq |
| US troops hold first St PatrickÂ’s Day parade in Baghdad |
| 2009-03-16 |
| BAGHDAD - The Tigris river did not run green and there wasn't a pint of the black stuff for hundreds of miles as American forces in Iraq staged their first Saint Patrick's Day parade on Sunday. But this did not dampen spirits on a dusty day in the appropriately named Green Zone where several hundred men and women, soldiers and civilians turned out to cheer ahead of the day itself on Tuesday. As incongruous as the event may seem in bombed-out Baghdad, the festivities came with top level authorisation and were staged at a time of better security. "We are not quite marching up and down the streets of Baghdad yet, but we do continue to see the improvement in security," said Major General Michael Eyre, commander of the Gulf Region Division. Security was key in obtaining the green light for the parade that was organised by 1st Sergeant Scott McWilliams, a native of Chicago's south side. "They don't have too many Irish out here," he joked, "although there are a few." |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 'tis appropriate the engineers did a lot of this as St.Patrick is the patron saint of combat engineers. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2009-03-16 22:06 |