By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role
as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of U.S. soldiers aired their plight on
U.S. television on Wednesday and said they had lost faith in the Army.

Told several times they would be going home only to have their hopes dashed this
week, a small group of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, spoke of
poor morale and disillusionment with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one disgruntled
soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld, one said: "I would
ask him why we are still here. I don't have any clue as to why we are still in
Iraq."

About 146,000 U.S. troops are serving amid mounting security threats in postwar
Iraq. The death toll has now equaled the number killed in the 1991 Gulf War.

Sgt. Filipe Vega, said they had expected to return home soon after the fall of
Baghdad on April 9. "We were told the fastest way back home is through Baghdad
and that's what we did. Now we are still here," he complained.

The 3rd Infantry Division was the first U.S. unit to enter Baghdad after driving
through southern Iraq through Kuwait.

Sgt. Terry Gilmore described a phone call with his wife Stacey when he told her
he would not be coming home soon.

"When I told her she started crying and I almost started crying. I just felt
like my heart was broken. I could not figure out...how they could keep us here
after they told us we were coming home."

In Washington, a Pentagon spokeswoman said she understood the frustration, but
said morale was still high. "It's obviously a frustrating situation for some of
them, but it does not represent the entire 3rd Division."

She added: "When you get down to the individual soldier level, you can clearly
see the dedication."

The wives of two of the soldiers appeared on the same show. "Just send my
husband home -- send all the soldiers home. They have done the job they were
supposed to do," said Rhonda Vega from Hinesville, Georgia.

Stacey Gilmore said U.S. troops were ill-prepared for the post-war phase. "They
were told after the fighting ended they were coming home. All I know is that
morale is low and they are just hanging in there, sticking through it."
((Writing by Sue Pleming, editing by Jackie Frank; Reuters Messaging
Sue.Pleming.reuters.com@reuters.net)

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fed up with being in Iraq and demoralized by their role
as peacekeepers in a risky place, a group of U.S. soldiers aired their plight on
U.S. television on Wednesday and said they had lost faith in the Army.

Told several times they would be going home only to have their hopes dashed this
week, a small group of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, spoke of
poor morale and disillusionment with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"If Donald Rumsfeld were here, I'd ask him for his resignation," one disgruntled
soldier told ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

Asked by a reporter what his message would be for Rumsfeld, one said: "I would
ask him why we are still here. I don't have any clue as to why we are still in
Iraq."

About 146,000 U.S. troops are serving amid mounting security threats in postwar
Iraq. The death toll has now equaled the number killed in the 1991 Gulf War.

Sgt. Filipe Vega, said they had expected to return home soon after the fall of
Baghdad on April 9. "We were told the fastest way back home is through Baghdad
and that's what we did. Now we are still here," he complained.

The 3rd Infantry Division was the first U.S. unit to enter Baghdad after driving
through southern Iraq through Kuwait.

Sgt. Terry Gilmore described a phone call with his wife Stacey when he told her
he would not be coming home soon.

"When I told her she started crying and I almost started crying. I just felt
like my heart was broken. I could not figure out...how they could keep us here
after they told us we were coming home."

In Washington, a Pentagon spokeswoman said she understood the frustration, but
said morale was still high. "It's obviously a frustrating situation for some of
them, but it does not represent the entire 3rd Division."

She added: "When you get down to the individual soldier level, you can clearly
see the dedication."

The wives of two of the soldiers appeared on the same show. "Just send my
husband home -- send all the soldiers home. They have done the job they were
supposed to do," said Rhonda Vega from Hinesville, Georgia.

Stacey Gilmore said U.S. troops were ill-prepared for the post-war phase. "They
were told after the fighting ended they were coming home. All I know is that
morale is low and they are just hanging in there, sticking through it."
((Writing by Sue Pleming, editing by Jackie Frank; Reuters Messaging
Sue.Pleming.reuters.com@reuters.net)