[July 31, 2025] I arrived in Iraq three weeks before the U.S. declared the end of combat operations in Iraq, on August 31, 2010. This tour was the beginning of my third combat year, and by then, I knew the landscape well. What did this presidential declaration mean to the troops on the ground in Iraq? Zero. Nothing changed whatsoever.
By then, I’d lost 13 of my closest friends to the enemy combatants (which we knew were trained and funded by Iran), and many had been seriously wounded. I would lose more friends and acquaintances over the upcoming year, a year that seemed like American politics had turned against those of us carrying out the policies of the President and Congress.
President Obama officially declared the end of the fighting that day, August 31, but the war continued nonstop. In my logbook, 1 of 3, I made no mention of it because of the time differences. The next day in Iraq, Wednesday, September 1, I wrote “Start of Operation New Dawn (OND), end of OIF.” We received an Operations Order (likely classified Secret) telling us the new name, but nothing about the significance except that President Obama ordered it.
The lesson I learned was that politicians (as well as anyone for that matter) can make all kinds of declarations and hold celebrations to praise their decisions. But unless real action is taken – which didn’t occur – these would be just empty words. We were all aware of his declaration to end the fighting in the Iraq War and saw it as pure political theatre.
Last night, I finished reading my logbook, looking for any comments about OND or for changes in guidance. There was none.
I read online that President Obama was receiving accolades from across the world for ending combat in Iraq. What comes to mind is “double-dealer.” Obama was a double-dealer: untrustworthy and dishonest. He didn’t have the humility to reject the praise that he had received undeservedly.
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Please read my books:
We should call out these so-called leaders like Obammer and tell,them we know they are FAKE. Gen. Satterfield is all over them and is willing to put his name and reputation out there to draw attention to bad leaders. “The lesson I learned was that politicians (as well as anyone for that matter) can make all kinds of declarations and hold celebrations to praise their decisions. But unless real action is taken – which didn’t occur – these would be just empty words. We were all aware of his declaration to end the fighting in the Iraq War and saw it as pure political theatre.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield. Nailing it hard. Wow.
Exactly and if you are a leader of any level, then you do have an obligation to call the. Out too and not let politics get in the way. 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
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This is exactly why I keep coming back to this leader website. It’s a daily dose of sanity.
👏 I applaud your sentiment. 👍
Bless you, Gen. Satterfield for telling us what the troops are thinking when our politicians betray them. And usually those who betray our troops are thr Democrats. Been betraying since the 1960s.
OND veterans here. Spot on article. Iraq was and remains a danderous place mostly due to sectarian violence, not because Americans were there.
Good point, Gays. I too am a veteran but from earlier – Vietnam War. Politicians are notorious for abandoning troops on the battlefield. Mostly these are the Leftist types because, IMHO, they hate America and love Communism. These are the John Kerry types who are fools and commie tools. Yes, I too would appreciate an opportunity to read a book on what Gen. Satterfield has to say about the entirety of this war.
Gen. Satterfield, we do t need to see the “Secret” operations order but maybe you could write more about what was in it or find out if it was ever declassified. I’d like the Trump Administration to declassify all the secret documents issued during the Iraq War so historians and average-day Americans can read the sources of what you and our military were working from.
Sir, great comment. I was never a fan of Barack Obama because he was just a lightweight and like a rockstar. All entertainment and nothing underneath the hood.
Sir, I look forward to rewarding us with a book on your time in Iraq. I mean not so much like your current series on “pre-Surge” engineering efforts but fro a higher level, beginning in 2003 through 2011. I believe you served that time frame and your insights about the war and your lack of insights of the bigger picture while fighting as part of the war itself. Was it worth the expenditure in blood and treasure? Was the invasion the right thing to do and was it at the right time. I know that armchair quarterbacking is easy but it would mean alot to us if you begin this kind of effort for us, and for the American record. Thank you, sir for considering my request because I know that your readers would be interested.
My uncle served from 2005-06 and tells me that he thought we were doing the right thing by eliminating the religious fanatics. Maybe he was right. A complex undertaking.
Thank him for his service, for us. 🙏
O agree. I’d love ❤️ to read this book.
A gem of a story about how Pres. Obama was more interested in optics than reality.