October is on track to be the first month in which no U.S. troops have died in combat in Baghdad.

But that's not all. According to USA Today, there's even more to celebrate, including:

As of Thursday, the Pentagon had reported 13 U.S. troops killed in combat and non-combat incidents this month in Iraq. If the number holds, it would tie July for the lowest monthly U.S. death toll of the 5½-year-old war.

The news comes in a week in which the troops have already made headlines. Their latest milestone? Two days ago, the U.S. military had handed over control of yet another province to the people of Iraq. This is the 13th of the country's 18 provinces to be placed back in Iraqi control, a sign of the tremendous dedication of the men and women of our military.

(For a related post, written when the al Anbar province was handed over, click here.)

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Katie Favazza is an editorial consultant who also blogs at KatieFavazza.com and Townhall.com.