Despite continued suicide bombings in Iraq, the surge of U.S. forces ordered by President Bush is already showing results, says an Attleboro native serving as an officer with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.

Lt. Col. Stephen Birch, a 1983 graduate of Bishop Feehan High School, whose unit is part of the surge, says the level of violence has declined, as has the number of roadside bombings.

In addition, Birch says Iraqis seem more willing to confide in U.S. troops and side against violent dissident factions.

"There's been a reduction in the level of violence in the form of mortar and rocket attacks," said Birch, who serves as director of telecommunications for the unit, which covers an area from Baghdad south to the the Iranian border. "The number of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) has decreased, which means it's better for us to operate and the local Iraqis can move around more, too."

Birch arrived in Iraq in March, but says his unit has only been fully set up to conduct operations since June. The Pentagon announced in June that the "surge" deployment of 28,500 additional troops was complete. The additional military personnel brings the total U.S. complement to approximately 160,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The Bush administration hopes that the additional troops will help to reduce insurgent violence and allow the Iraqi government to gain strength, while at the same time quieting fighting between Iraqi religious factions that broke out after the 2003 invasion.

The surge has yet to convince skeptics in Congress, who point to a classified national intelligence estimate concluding that al Qaeda has gained strength and that the war has boosted, rather than discouraged, Islamist radicalism around the world.

But, Birch said that by all he has seen, the surge appears to be working.

Even Iraqis, who have been widely characterized as fearful and divided by religious violence, are gaining confidence, he said. Iraqi troops are fighting side-by-side with U.S. troops, he said, and the number of Iraqi civilians offering to cooperate with the U.S. military is increasing.

As next month's due date for a progress report on Iraq approaches in Congress, however, one thought is gaining prominence among the military: the prospect of a counter-surge by al Qaeda and other violent factions.

Some fear a repetition of something like the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam that stiffened grassroots opposition to the war and eventually led to a U.S. withdrawal.

"Everybody knows about the congressional testimony on the war coming in September," he said. "I know that the military is concerned about the possibility of a Tet-like event that could influence American opinion and cause people in our country to say, 'Enough.'"

Fears of an "Iraq Tet" prior to congressional testimony have gained traction recently as a result of remarks by Gen. David Petraeus, who voiced concerns about potentially spectacular attacks by terrorists keyed to the September report.

Despite the image of daily bombings in Baghdad, Birch says most of the country has returned to "relatively normal." Birch, a graduate of Providence College, is based at Fort Stuart, Ga., where he lives with his wife, Ellen, and three children. He has served two decades in the Army, including two tours in Kosovo.

Birch's father, Jim, lives in Attleboro.

Currently, Birch is committed to a 15-month stay in Iraq.

"After that, I'm looking forward to coming home to my wife and kids," he said.