Five years in Iraq strain U.S. Army

By Andrew Gray - Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Before he has turned 30, U.S. Army Capt. Jaron Wharton has served two yearlong tours in the Iraq war, felt the severe strain on soldiers and seen the Army change the way it fights.

In many ways, Wharton's experiences mirror those of the Army as a whole in the five years since U.S. troops invaded Iraq and raced to Baghdad to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

"Our patrols were treated like floats in a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade," Wharton recalled of the early days. "People were really, really thankful."

But as the scenes of jubilation gave way to a deadly insurgency, Iraq has become the biggest test the U.S. military has faced without a draft since the fight for independence from Britain in the 1775-83 Revolutionary War.

Nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, more than 3,200 of them killed in action. Almost 30,000 have been wounded.

When he returned to Iraq for his second tour in November 2005, Wharton found a tougher environment. One sergeant was hit by three bomb attacks during an 18-hour patrol, he recalled.

Some U.S. soldiers are now on their third or fourth tours. Deployments have been extended from a year to 15 months, with only a year at home between tours.

The long deployments take a heavy toll on personal relationships, said Wharton, whose wife is also an Army captain who has served two tours.