"There are only 250 Marines in Fallujah, a city of about 350,000, right now. Last year, there were 3,000 Marines."

From Michael Totten:

There's a gigantic perception lag in America these days. The Iraq of the popular imagination and the Iraq of the real world are not the same country. It wouldn't be quite right to say Fallujah is safe. You do not want to come here on holiday. But I'm a lot safer here as an American than any terrorist or insurgent would be.

Fallujah surge Iraq