Big Red One readies for Iraq

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FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) -- Since 2003, the focus of most of the units preparing for war at Fort Riley, an Army post on the plains, has been bringing stability to Iraq.

But as the 1st Infantry Division's commanding general and his staff prepare for their upcoming turn in Iraq, the nation's focus has shifted on what was once considered "the other war," the fight in Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks and his division headquarters are going through the final training and rehearsals for their upcoming deployment -- one that will find them in a supportive role to the Iraq military. It's very different from the brigade of soldiers that deployed to Iraq in early 2007.

Those soldiers were a cog in the surge of forces sent to Iraq for 15 months to solidify the U.S. war efforts.