By AP
Fort Campbell, KY – The Army made official what troops at Fort Campbell have believed for months; all 19,000 soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division, plus some support units, will return to Iraq next year.
The 10st is expected to deploy sometime after May. The 101st spent a year in Iraq beginning in February 2003.
More than 60 soldiers from Fort Campbell have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Since the 101st's return, the Army has transformed the division from top to bottom and added a fourth combat brigade.
LtCol Ed Loomis says the retraining, restructuring and effort to bring combat units back to full strength is ongoing.
Although the announcement was a not a surprise, reaction was mixed around Fort Campbell. Some soldiers ay morale is a problem after news of the re-deployment became official.