Stryker colonel says men made progress in Iraq

Down to his last days in Iraq before his troops return to Fort Lewis, Stryker brigade commander Col. Bob Brown gave a final interview Wednesday via teleconference from the Pentagon. Among his subjects:

Homecoming: Brown’s 4,200 troops from the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division are due to begin arriving early next week, officials at Fort Lewis say. They’ve been in Iraq since October, operating mainly in and around the northern city of Mosul.

Who’s replacing them: The 172nd Infantry Brigade from Fort Wainwright, Alaska.