Original sentence: In his and his unit's defense Odierno strenuously argued that the situation was such that such an approach was required.Many officers from the 1st Marine Division were critical of 4th ID's belligerent stance during their initial entry into Iraq after the ground war had ceased and the unit's lack of a 'hearts and minds' approach to counter-insurgency.Odierno's tenure as 4th ID commander in Iraq and his unit's actions there have subsequently come under criticism from several sources.Several authors have echoed similar criticisms shared with them by other military personnel in the theater[1]
Edited sentence: His agressive tactics have since been vindicated as former insurgents began to join the fight against Islamic extremist groups, such as al-Qaeda, in 2007.In his and his unit's defense Odierno strenuously argued that the situation he was presented with required such an approach.Later in the deployment, Odierno's troops captured Saddam Hussein in December 2003.Odierno's tenure as 4th ID commander in Iraq and his unit's actions there initially came under criticism from several sources as being too heavy handed.These sources felt the 4th Infantry Division lacked a "hearts and minds" approach to counter-insurgency and was causing more harm than good