Corporal Eric Hickey (L) and Corporal Allen Mitchell from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division prepare to depart from Iraq at Camp Adder, now known as Imam Ali Base, near Nasiriyah December 17, 2011. The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and left a country still grappling with political uncertainty. REUTERS/Mario Tama/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS)