Republic of Lithuania Army in Iraq - Local Issues/ Commemorative Issues

  Combat Forces / Coalition Forces Support group from Lithuania in Iraq.

Design: Lithuanian Troops and Insignias/Emblems

Design: 4 designs

2 blocks of 4

source: http://www.metimes.com

KUT, Iraq, June 4 (UPI) -- More than half of the Lithuanian soldiers assigned to security details in Iraq chose to extend their tours of duty, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

The Lithuanian government voted to extend by two months the tour of duty for soldiers assigned to protect U.S. civil affairs teams working in the western Iraqi province of Wasit. Soldiers assigned to the unit were given the choice of rotating home or voluntarily extending their tours, a U.S. Army report said.

"Since they were already packed and I knew how difficult it would be, I chose to ask for volunteers to stay," said Lithuanian Chief of Defense Lt. Gen. Valdas Tutkus. Twenty-nine of the 40 soldiers chose to stay.

"Without them, we would be stuck," said Capt. Caroline Pogge with a U.S. civil affairs unit stationed in Wasit.

Lithuanian troops interviewed by the U.S. Army said completing the mission weighed heavy in their decision-making process.

"The mission is not finished when our time is finished. If we wanted to finish it, we had to stay," said Cpl. Rimvydas Stasaitis.

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