Welcome Home, Troops

Good news for families awaiting the return of loved ones: 4,000 U.S. troops will be heading home from Iraq by the end of the month as the military winds down operations there.

"As we go forward, we will thin our lines across Iraq in order to reduce the risk and sustain stability through a deliberate transition of responsibilities to the Iraqi security forces," Army Gen. Ray Odierno said in a statement he was to deliver before the House Armed Services Committee, according to the Associated Press.

The troops will be withdrawn by the end of October. At that point about 120,000 troops will still remain in Iraq The U.S. plans to end combat missions by September 2010, and end involvement in the country by 2011.

While the violence is far from over in Iraq, officials say the number of attacks has dropped considerably, from more than 4,000 in August 2007 to about 600 last month.