Paul,

Not sure if the bridge is there. I don't recall a pontoon bridge. We used to use highway 2 when going up to Kirkuk.

Did you spend any time in Nasiriyah? I spent a year there, and the locals still remember the Marines. You guys kicked some serious ass in that town. One local told me a story of a lone iraqi insurgent who was running around their street shooting at the Marines. All of a sudden a bomb or rocket falls from the sky and he was gone. My friend then said that he knew the war was lost if the Marines would use one expensive bomb to kill one soldier!

Matt from MAST is a friend of mine and the sponsor of the Magpul class. I wish I could attend. Take good notes so I can pick your brain later...