re: Frame of reference
"Given the reductions over the past 10 years, I don't know what the current percentage is, but we still have tens of thousands of personnel stationed in Europe. Why?"
Over 100,000 US personnel stationed in Europe [112,000?, not sure, but it's a current number as reported on TV news]. In other words probably within several months we will have about the same US personnel in Iraq than compared to ones we have in Europe- and within a year or two less than 1/2 as many in Iraq as compared to Europe.
I wonder if Donald Krupp would be so kind as to include in his daily tally the ones killed or injuried in the "Never Ending European Quagmire" [6 decades and continuing].