Is this similar to something that we will be reading in 2041?
The army's 38-year military campaign in Northern Ireland ended at midnight.
From today it is down to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to police the province and take on the small groups of dissident republicans still seeking to destabilise it.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde said his force was up to the job and no longer needed the support of the army such was the sea-change in the political and security situation.
First Minister, the Rev Ian Paisley said the province owed a great debt to the army - the peaceful situation in Northern Ireland had only come about as a result of their sacrifice, he said.
If anyone wants to know how long it will take to get over the sectarian violence and hate in Iraq and give the Iraqis time to "stand on their own" only needs to look at Northern Ireland.
When the British army came to Northern Ireland, the thought was that they would only be there a couple weeks or months. Doesn't that sound familiar? It took nearly four decades for Northern Ireland to "stand on its own."
Now even today, many see the incursion of British soldiers into Northern Ireland as a crime. There are still sectarian tensions, but there was enough common ground to work with. It just took four decades.
Now think about the current occupation of Iraq. Is there any common ground? Very little when compared to the situation in Northern Ireland. So with that four decades may be only a starting point.