Some Afghanistan-Bound Troops Feel Relief

[Snazzy]

Some Afghanistan-Bound Troops Feel Relief

May 3, 3:55 AM (ET)

By KIMBERLY HEFLING

EDINBURGH, Ind. (AP) - Sgt. Fred Arnold is packing his bags for Afghanistan, not Iraq. But to him, war is war.

"One place is as bad as another," Arnold, 36, said from his barracks at Camp Atterbury, a major Midwest mobilization station for Guard and Reserve units heading for the war on terror.

For soldiers deploying to Afghanistan as part of the largest U.S. troop rotation since World War II, the assignment is a mixed bag.

Some would rather be in the thick of action in Iraq. Others are relieved because Afghanistan - while still a war zone - is seemingly safer than Iraq. More than 700 U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq war, compared to about 100 in Afghanistan since the United States invaded after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040503/D82AVM5G1.html