[link|http://michaelyon.blogspot.com/|On the scene, seeing what's happening]
Excerpts:
Unit after unit that we stopped in was proud that nothing was happening in their sectors, and now that the polls were closed, it was a matter of securing the ballots.
We then visited the 504th from Fort Lewis, who had detailed instructions on one of the doors on how to \ufffdTurn a Hamster into a Fighting Machine.\ufffd Basically, just select a hamster and tape a knife to its back...
We walked into the TOC of the 504th, and the board was quiet. Nothing.
And that was it: 1903 hours, the four Humvees from the 42nd MPs drove away in the darkness, and we drove home. This was the finest, most complete mission I had ever gone on.
Next morning, the Army said there had been 19 attacks on polling sites throughout Iraq. In January there had been 108 attacks on polling sites. There had been about 300 total attacks during the January election day, and the Army said there had been 89 total attacks in Iraq during this voting day.
It had been quiet from my perch. The guns had been silenced long enough that we could hear the Iraqi voice speak for a second time. The voice was louder, stronger, and prouder than it had been in January.
I say:
Winning hearts and minds? I'll settle for 78 percent and change.