Americans feel Iraq strain

By Matt Frei BBC Washington correspondent

Soldiers in the US 3rd Infantry Division have been told four times by the army that they will be leaving Iraq but each date for homecoming has been postponed.

3rd Infantry soldiers are becoming increasingly frustrated

Now the troops who led the charge are becoming openly bitter, with some even calling for the resignation of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in extraordinary comments broadcast by US media.

Others simply say they cannot trust the army any more after so many promises about their future have been broken.

It took the men of the 3rd Infantry just three weeks to occupy Iraq and oust a dictator. They became famous for seizing Baghdad with lightning speed.

Three months later they are still there, still dressed as combat soldiers and still under fire almost every day as they try to establish law and order.

Nightly trial

They were meant to go home round about now but they have been told to stay even longer. Men usually loath to grumble are now openly bitter at this decision.

It has turned out to be a lot longer and a lot more work Nanette O'Neill, Soldier's wife

Sergeant Eric Wright voiced the mood amongst his men:

"We're exhausted. Mentally and physically exhausted to the point that someone hoped they would get wounded so they could go home. 'Hey shoot me, I want to go home'."

Those who came home early like Sergeant Wilbert Davis returned to the US in a body bag.

At Fort Stewart in Georgia, home of the 3rd Infantry Division, they mourn 29 soldiers lost in Iraq during the war and afterwards.

Waiting and watching at home is Nanette O'Neill. Her husband is still serving in Falluja, a hotbed of guerrilla activity.

Troops ordered to oust a dictator are now acting as peacekeepers

A US newsreader reminds this audience of the dangers in Iraq for their loved ones. "In the past two weeks, the casualty count has mounted day by day," he says.

For Mrs O'Neill and the other army wives, the evening news has become a nightly trial.

"I think with the war being so stressful, that we kind of had high hopes that OK, good, like that was quick, and successful so maybe this other part will be the same," she says.

"It has turned out to be a lot longer and a lot more work."

Mounting questions

In the chapel at Fort Stewart, military colleagues remember the fallen and celebrate the flag each day, much like the rest of America.

Their patriotism remains undaunted. So does their support for what they saw as a just war but the doubts are mounting about the price and the point of occupying Iraq.

The aftermath of the war is beset by questions on Capitol Hill and amongst ordinary Americans:

• Where are the weapons of mass destruction?

• When will the troops come home?

• What actually is the point of it all?

As the casualties mount in Iraq, President Bush is forced to listen because, for the first time, his opinion poll ratings are slipping.