The U.S. military's exit strategy in iraq rests on the shoulders of men like Marine Gunnery Sergeant Kenneth Kurre. A 19-year veteran of the corps, Kurre is beginning a seven-month tour as adviser to a platoon of Iraqi soldiers. He lives with the Iraqis at their base on the banks of the Tigris River and observes them on patrol. His job is to advise, not command, but the line often gets blurred. At a dangerous intersection in central Mosul near the Tigris, which experienced an insurgent attack nearby with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades the previous day, Kurre carefully positions his Iraqi charges at a checkpoint. Using hand signals because he doesn't have a translator, Kurre finally arranges the Iraqis, with weapons ready, to use the walls of buildings as cover as they watch over the nearby streets, alleys and rooftops.
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