US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to Headquarter Squadron, 142nd Engineer Combat Battalion, are greeted with honor by Veterans Groups and crowds of supporters after arriving at Hector International Airport, Fargo, North Dakota (ND), following a deployment to Iraq, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Pictured are Sergeant (SGT) William D. Schlichting (foreground) and Specialists (SPC) Benjamin G. Oster

Iraq War aka Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, under the code-name "Operation Iraqi Freedom". 248,000 soldiers from the United States, 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from Special Forces unit GROM sent to Kuwait for the invasion. The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 70,000.