US Army (USA) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Parkhurst (foreground left), Aviation Brigade, greets soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1ST Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, upon their arrival at Fort Stewart, Georgia (GA), as they re-deploy from Iraq, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Iraq War aka Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, under the code-name "Operation Iraqi Freedom". 248,000 soldiers from the United States, 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from Special Forces unit GROM sent to Kuwait for the invasion. The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 70,000.