Perspective: Troops Look For Bright Side of Longer Iraq Deployments

WASHINGTON — Not all soldiers were surprised to learn that the Pentagon has decided to expand deployments in Iraq from 12 months to 15 months, though many who are speaking up say they were a little taken aback by the sudden nature of the announcement.

Because of a leak out of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced publicly on Wednesday that Army soldiers now in Iraq will be staying there longer and those not yet deployed will go for a longer length of time. The news came before the military could announce the decision to its own troops.

But several soldiers, hearing the news on Thursday, took it in stride.

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