After 7 long years and nearly 4415 killed, 193 who were from Florida, Operation Iraqi Freedom, is over. (see Florida Casualties Here)
Last night, the US military pulled the last of combat troops out of Iraq, leaving behind an Iraqi government to handle its own security. While the US will still have at least 50,000 service personnel on the ground in Iraq, they will be classified as training and support staff, scheduled to leave the country completely in the summer of 2011.
Lance Corporal David Key Fribley of Lee County, was the first Floridian killed in the conflict, dating back to March 23, 2003. All in all, Florida suffered losses totaling 193 from nearly every city and county in the state.
The last Floridian killed in Iraq was Staff Sargent Amilcar Gonzalez from Miami on May 21, 2010