“You know, I think this war is officially over.”

Joe Honan, one of the Castle's two correspondents on the ground in Iraq, is a sailor from JFCOM attached to the Marines in Ramadi:

I couple of days ago I brought a number of Anbaris to Baghdad to get visas to go the states later this year. We set up VIP air transport to get them in, and were expecting to spend the whole day there. Well the paperwork was all in order, and it went a lot faster than we thought it would. So about 3 that afternoon we’re wrapping up and one of them comes up to me.

Him: “Can we leave now?”
Me: “No sir, the flight isn’t going to leave until later tonight. We need to bus you all to the landing zone after dinner.”
Him: “Well, can you just let us out at the gate? We’ll find our own way back.”
Me: “…..O.K…. how many of you Sunni leaders want to get left in the middle of Baghdad to find you’re way to Ramadi instead of flying with an armed escort?”
Him: “Oh we’ll all go and rent a couple of cars.”
Me turning to Gunny: “You know, I think this war is officially over.”

Won? Yes. "Over" not so much. But I think we know what Joe is telling us. Iraqis are starting to feel safe without the protection of our military. One step, a HUGE step, closer to being "over."

I've been hearing these kinds of stories all across the milblogs, is anyone listening to them?

These guys are in Iraq or have recently come home:

A Soldier's Home
Matel - in Iraq
Up Country Iraq
Fobbits need ice cream too
THIS WE'LL DEFEND
Rocinante's Burdens
101 Days With The 101st Airborne Division
Vince's experiences in Iraq
Notes from Tommie
Playing in the Sandbox
War on Big Tobacco
Miserable Donuts
Sergeant Grumpy
James Aalan Bernsen
Tragically Famous
Courage Without Fear
HILLAS' HISTORIES
TheAngryAmerican
Something on the staff
Armed and Curious
One Marine's View
Jason's Iraq Vacation
Brad's Excellent Adventure
LT Nixon Rants

I check their hit counters when I can and they're not getting near the traffic they deserve.