U.S. officer in Iraq on historic mission

BAGHDAD — US army Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Brooks is on his third tour in Iraq, but his mission has not been a typical one: as an army historian, he is charged with documenting the history of the Iraq war.

On his latest deployment, Brooks, 48, is the command historian for United States Forces - Iraq (USF-I), making him the army's top historian in the country.

He is still working to document the history of the conflict, with emphasis on American involvement, even as US forces are leaving Iraq. The US withdrawal is to be completed by year's end.

There were once 16 army historians in Iraq but that number is now down to two, Brooks said....