Pvt. Curtis Sample, 21, of Chicago, a member of Company B, 1st Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, stands guard at a patrol site near a school as Iraqi children gather and cheer in Najaf, Iraq, April 8. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)

Read the story: Najaf residents welcome U.S. troops (Opens in new window)
On the homefront: Army families keep tense vigil at home while Dad servces in Iraq (Opens in new window)