A Soldiers Blog

Soldiers' Angels Germany: Soldiers' Angels brings Chefs to Landstuhl

2010-03-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Soldiers' Angels Germany: Soldiers' Angels brings Chefs to Landstuhl

2006-09-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Holidays For Heroes
This holiday season most of us will celebrate here at home with our loved ones. However, this will not be the case for tens of thousands of Americasâ?? bravest men and women who are protecting our freedom overseas. Soldiers' Angels will strive to make sure that every soldier deployed receives a Holiday gift.

Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) September 20, 2006 -- This holiday season most of us will celebrate here at home with our loved ones. However, this will not be the case for tens of thousands of Americasâ?? bravest men and women who are protecting our freedom overseas. Many of those who guard our freedom will be doing so from across the world and will not be able to share the holiday season with their families and friends. Fellow service members of many of these same deployed soldiers will be spending the holidays in hospital rooms recuperating from injuries earned in defense of our nation. While the warmth of the holiday season may remind many soldiers of the reasons they serve, it is also the time in which the absence from their families and friends is felt the most.

In an effort to let the soldiers know their sacrifices are appreciated and to lift them into the holiday spirit, many organizations support holiday projects aimed at giving gifts to the deployed and wounded soldiers. Soldiersâ?? Angels is at the very top of this list. Our mission is to provide aid and comfort to the thousands of American service members stationed wherever the United States raises its flag.

"No project could be better suited to our goal of letting our soldiers know that they are loved and appreciated," said Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiersâ?? Angels. "Our â??Holidays for Heroesâ?? project strives to make sure that every soldier deployed in a combat area receives a gift of small but welcome items and a card with holiday greetings and encouragement." The gift, which contains items such a coffee mug bearing the Soldiersâ?? Angels logo, AT&T calling cards, hot chocolate and cider mix, candy, and even socks, are mailed to soldiers in combat areas and delivered personally by individual Soldiersâ?? Angels in our hospitals. While most soldiers receive tremendous support from home, Soldiersâ?? Angels strives to ensure that those who need the most attention receive it. To succeed in our mission, Soldiersâ?? Angels works closely with military clergy and non-commissioned officers who are in the best position to know the personal needs of each soldier.

"The goal is to get items to every soldier, but first, we want to take care of those who need it the most," says Debby Frerichs, the Central Region Director for Soldiersâ?? Angels. Frerichs says "Collecting donations to support â??Holidays for Heroesâ?? has been a wonderful project for churches, schools, businesses, and even families. The groups participating in the project know that they are doing something to help their fellow Americans." Frerichs explains that "Many soldiers have no family and are often forgotten during this time of year. In the past couple of years we have received many thanks from deployed soldiers who say that the simple gift and a friendly letter from home warmed their hearts and raised their morale. We know that support for â??Holidays for Heroesâ?? by the community is appreciated by the soldiers."

No project could be better suited to our goal of letting our soldiers know that they are loved and appreciated

Soldiersâ?? Angels continues the time honored tradition of civilian support of American soldiers, and, in addition to â??Holidays for Heroesâ??, sponsors programs which provide first response backpacks, support, and laptop computers to wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment at American military hospitals; care packages, letters, and support to deployed soldiers; armored blankets to military ambulances; and memorial trees for the families of soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.

If you would like more information about â??Holidays for Heroes, â??visit www.soldiersangels.org or contact Debby Frerichs or Gerri Riley at (615)676-0239. If you would like to schedule an interview with Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiersâ?? Angels, please email Debby Frerichs.

Contact:

Debby Frerichs, Central Regional Director

Or Gerri Riley, Treasurer

c/o 1792 East Washington Blvd.

Pasadena, California 91104

Tel. (615)676-0239

2006-08-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Soldier Ride
Wounded warriors heal on the road

Lance Cpl. Patrick J. Floto

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. â?? For some veterans, particularly the combat-wounded, the biggest battle may not be the War on Terrorism itself, but coping with the injuries and disabilities.

Many organizations across the United States and beyond exist to help these wounded warriors find a unique way to recover from what was inflicted in battle.

For more than 75 wounded servicemembers, the best way to heal is to take action and accomplish something few have ever done: take part in a 3,000-mile bicycle ride across the country.

The cross country bicycle ride, an annual event known as Soldier Ride, began May 6 when the participants dipped the wheels of their bicycles in the Atlantic Ocean at Montauk Point, N.Y and ended July 29 with another dip in the Pacific Ocean here.

The 12-week odyssey was broken up into one week segments. The participants were able to join the cause for as long as they please.

Along the long route there were supporters cheering the participants on.

â??Almost all of my adult life, I have been stationed at Fort Bragg where just about every civilian in town is a military relative,â?? said former Army Sgt. Andrew Biddle. â??The consistency of American support for the troops is unbreakable. This is the first time I have truly seen just how much the military is appreciated.â??

Bob Mullin, a supporter of Soldier Ride, flew from his home in Massapequa, N.Y. to San Clemente just to watch them finish the ride.

â??I went to the park in Montauk Point and saw these young men missing arms and legs, but still in great shape heading across the country on bicycles,â?? said Mullin, a former Marine sergeant and retired New York Fire Department captain. â??They served their country well, and they deserve our respect. They have true military spirit, and their courage is an inspiration to all.â??

Mullin was joined by numerous other veteransâ?? organizations such as several chapters of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Patriot Guard.

In addition to those who served, one performer particularly close to the Marine Corps rode with the wounded warriors.â??When I played â??Jokerâ?? in the movie â??Full Metal Jacket,â?? I began a special relationship with the Marine Corps,â?? said Matthew Modine. â??When I began visiting hospitals housing the combat wounded, I realized just how important it was to show our support for the troops.â??

The Soldier Ride is an annual event put on by Soldierâ??s Angels, a support group that was founded by a mother of a former soldier in the summer of 2003 when she heard from her son that not every soldier was getting letters and care packages from home.

Since then, the group has expanded to a non-profit organization with branches at military hospitals across the United States and overseas. The group now hosts several projects to send supplies to wounded soldiers. For more information on Soldierâ??s Angels, visit their website at http://www.soldiersangels.org .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2006-01-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

FOR OUR TROOPS
Hello,

Soldiers Angels in collaboration with Library of Lifeis mounting aGuinness Book of Records attempt, called Operation: Love Our Troops, to create the largest digital Valentineâ??s Day card ever and send the messages to our deployed military.

Library of Life is an organization that offers the public a way to celebrate life and share memories on line, through a digital library that will last forever. They are sponsoring the campaign, hosting the Valentines messages for free and created a way to raise funds for Soldiers Angels.

Before the site is promoted and Operation Love Our Troops is announced to the public, we want to populate the site with genuine, heartfelt messages. We are reaching out to Angels for support with this. We're asking that you visit www.operationloveourtroops.com and send a message of support to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. â??Who would better deserve the largest Valentineâ??s Day card than our troops abroad,â?? says Patti Patton-Bader.

Library of Life has retained The Bohle Company, a top public relations company based in Los Angeles, to promote the campaign. They will be seeking major media coverage for this effort that will greatly enhance Soldiers Angels visibility.

We are really excited about this partnership and trust you will be too.

Let's show the troops how much they are appreciated. You're welcome to forward this email on to others. We want Operation Love Our Troops to be an overwhelming success. Thank you for helping us attain this goal.

Take care,

Patti Bader, Founder

Ana-Marie Smith, President

Soldiers' Angels

http://soldiersangels.org

"May No Soldier, Sailor, Marine Go Unloved"

Patti Bader

May no soldier go unloved.

May no soldier walk alone.

May no soldier be forgotten,

Until they all come home.

SoldiersAngels.org

2005-11-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

FOR OUR WOUNDED
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/atf/cf/{279F00F6-7AEF-4E77-9462-B707D698D169}/TSGLI%20APPLICATION%20FORM.PDF

News and Highlights

Traumatic Injury Insurance Payment Forms Now Available:

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Service Member Group Life Insurance has recently released the form that MUST be filled out for severely injured service members to qualify for payment under the newly created Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) program.

To Download the Application Form (with instructions) Click here.

For a detailed presentation on the Traumatic Injury Insurance program and eligibility requirements Go here

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/atf/cf/{279F00F6-7AEF-4E77-9462-B707D698D169}/TSGLI%20APPLICATION%20FORM.PDF

Veterans' Day Message from the Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee

By U.S. Senator Larry Craig

"... I later met with three younger veterans, all in their early 20s, who also made me proud to be an American, and who put another lump in my throat.

Ryan Kelly, from Prescott, Arizona, lost a leg in Iraq. Heath Calhoun, from Clarksville, Tennessee, lost both of his legs. Jeremy Feldbusch from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, lost his sight. They explained the financial difficulties they faced with long recuperation times, and wives and family members who gave up jobs to be near them as they were in hospital rehab.

They sought legislation not to help themselves, but to help others. I was inspired by their courage and selflessness. Only a few weeks later, Congress approved legislation I authored, which will provide anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 to our nation's "Wounded Warriors" to offset the costs families incur when they have to leave jobs and homes to be with loved ones who are recuperating at military hospitals."

2005-11-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Schiff to Deliver Letters to Our Troops
Schiff to Deliver Letters to Our Troops

During the next few weeks, Congressman Schiff will be visiting our troops, and he would like to bring messages of thanksgiving from our community.

"I'm so thankful to the men and women of our military, many of whom are overseas, sacrificing time away from their families to serve our nation," said Schiff. "During this holiday season when we gather among friends and family, let's think of those who are away from home. If you would like to send notes or letters to the soldiers, I'd be honored to deliver them to our heroes in uniform. Children may even want to draw pictures. Your messages will brighten the day for so many who are serving our nation far from home."

Please send cards, letters, and drawings to:

Congressman Adam Schiff

35 South Raymond Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91105

Or via fax at (626) 304-0572

Please send messages by December 9. If you have any questions, or have additional ideas for how our community can honor our troops, please contact my office at 626-304-2727.

HughHewitt.com

2005-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Posted at 1:00 PM, Pacific

The news on the Special Forces crash in Afghanistan is confirmed as as bad as it could be. I will feature a number of milbloggers on today's show, including FroggyRuminations Col. Bay, Smash, as well as Mark Steyn and, from Baghdad, Michael Yon.

I will also be urging the audience to contribute to the United Warrior Survivor Foundation which is "dedicated to the surviving spouses of Special Operations military personnel killed in the line of duty since 9/11. UWSF offers Survivor Transition Assistance to surviving spouses, along with educational counseling, financial guidance, investment planning, and other programs." I know the groups' founders and they are superb people with extensive ties to the special operations community, and they do great things with the resources they raise. You can contribute here.

Perhaps some other civilian bloggers could post a link to the Foundation. The url is easy to remember: www.frogfriends.com.

SoldiersAngels can also use as many sponsors as there are out there.

Radioblogger will post the transcripts later this evening.

HughHewitt.com

From My Position... On the way!: Walter Reed, Her We Come!

2005-06-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

There is one man (other than God Himself) in particular who saved Chuck's life. CPT Jason Spencer, Chuck's XO. Chuck said to me, "Jason saved my life. Don't ever let me forget that." I don't know Jason on a very personal level, but he dove into the canal when Chuck was blown in from the explosion... I don't know the details of what Jason did when he was in the canal w/ Chuck, but whatever it was, Chuck remembers, and Jason is forever in our debt.

From My Position... On the way!: Walter Reed, Her We Come!

The San Marino Tribune 5K Run/Walk

2005-06-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

The San Marino Tribune 5K Run/Walk
5K Run
benefiting the JP Blecksmith Leadership Foundation
July 4, 2005
REGISTRATION FORM
When:
Monday, July 4th, 2005-Race day registration will begin at 7:30 AM and end at 8:30 AM -5K Run/Walk will begin promptly at 9:00 AM
Where:
Start/Finish Location:-NW corner of San Marino Avenue and -Huntington Drive in San Marino.Map of course
Cost:
Postmarked by 6/22:
19 & Under: $2520+ :$30
Postmarked after 6/22:
All Ages: $40
Race day Registration:
All Ages: $40
-Donations to the JP Blecksmith Leadership Foundation welcome
-Entry Fee includes a T-Shirt. Size not guaranteed for entries received after June 22nd.
-Checks are to be made payable to the: SAN MARINO TRIBUNE

Sign-up:
Mail registration form and payment to:JP Blecksmith Leadership Foundation 5K2275 Huntington Drive #525San Marino, CA 91108

Additional Information:
-Awards Ceremony and San Marino Rotary Club Centennial Clock Dedication to follow 5K run/walk beginning at 10:00 AM-Adopt a soldier at the Soldiers' Angels booth during the post-race festivities.
-The San Marino Tribune 5K Run/Walk benefiting the JP Blecksmith Leadership Foundation will also serve as a training run for 11 individuals, JP's family and friends, who will be running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC on October 30, 2005 in honor of JP and his fellow Marines.

2005-06-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Marathon for the Fisher House Landstuhl
Marathon for the Fisher House Landstuhl

http://sponsormywalk.info/

My name is Norm Raynal; I am a 64-year old diabetic who works for the Defense Commissary Agency. I have been wondering, perhaps like many of you, how to stay healthy and do something beneficial with my off-duty time. I tried several different activities, but nothing seemed "right" for meâ?¦too time-consuming, limited exercise, and especially no sense of feeling like I was doing something worthwhileâ?¦nothing seemed to "fit.â?? I told a good friend about my dilemma and she suggested I consider volunteering at the Fisher House. I had no idea what the Fisher House was. When I saw an ad looking for volunteers to help the Fisher House clean up after the holidays, I thought about her suggestion and decided to give it a try.

The manager was kind enough to take some time from her busy day to explain what the Fisher House provides for service members and their families. I learned that in our area, there are two Fisher Houses collocated to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center that provide a â??home away from homeâ?? for families assisting wounded service members or who are themselves receiving medical care at Landstuhl. During 2004, these two houses assisted over 900 families.

The Fisher Houses depend on donations to maintain their operation. To support this worthwhile cause, I will walk five 42.9 marathons and ask each of you to pledge a dollar amount for each kilometer I walk or a dollar amount for each marathon I walk. No walk â?¦no donation.

Kathy Gregory provided me with more ideas and suggestions and along with another friend, Berndt Schwarz, we put this web site together. Karin Hand did the final edit so Kathy Reed could do the English - German translation what we will post in the near future. Thanks to my friends, we are able to reach out to the community for support.

Your donation after the first, third and fifth marathon will directly go to the service members and their families who stay at the Landstuhl Fisher Houses.

I ask you to help those who fight for our freedom by being generous with your pledge.

As the Manager of the Landstuhl Fisher Houses I welcome the support you will provide us. We do not receive any government funding and our operating costs come from donations and the $10 room fee. The Fisher House Foundation that is listed on the Combined Federal Campaign is a separate Fund that solicits money for building new Fisher Houses, supporting existing Fisher Houses and helping individual families in need. Charitable activities like this 5 X marathon help us meet our donation goal as well as spread the word that the Landstuhl Fisher Houses are here to help our families in need. We estimate $155,000 will be needed this year, so we thank you for your pledge which will help us provide care and support. You will be helping to keep a family unit together and assisting each family through their medical crisis by giving us the ability to provide â??compassionate care beyond the call of dutyâ??.

2005-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
U.S. Probing Private Iraqi Guards: "The U.S. military is investigating 16 private American security guards and three Iraqi contractors for shooting at Marines and Iraqi civilians during a three-hour spree last month in Fallujah."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

Sunnis given 25 seats on Iraqi committee: "Sunni Muslim Arabs will be given up to 25 seats on the committee drafting Iraq's new constitution, President Jalal Talabani said Thursday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

16 contractors under arrest for attack US troops in IraqWar.info

Iraqi leader seeks security role for militia: "very hard to sully the reputation of nationalist movements like Badr so that they can achieve goals that do not serve the interests of the Iraqi people," Abdul

[in Aljazeera.net]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Talks with Iraqi rebels possible - Rice: "Washington - American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left the door open on Wednesday for Iraqi officials to negotiate with groups linked to the insurgency, saying political reconciliation must be...

[in IOL]"

In The US News: Iraq News

America's best hope is a Democratic regime change: "Iran is developing an atomic bomb delivery system along with North Korea, and our president invaded Iraq. Iraq had no capability to do anything to anyone.

[in Port Huron Times Herald]"

In The US News: Iraq News

In Increasing Numbers Youth Resisting Recruitment for Iraq: "Darrett Evans, a legal secretary from Bridgeport, Connecticut and of Costa Rican descent, wanted to find summer employment for her nephew and her daughter, so she responded to a Sunday classified ad i...

[in Pacific News Service]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Katy soldier who killed himself added to Iraq casualty roster: "The Department of Defense has added the name of a soldier from Katy who committed suicide almost two years ago to the official roster of casualties from the war in Iraq."

In HoustonChronicle.com -- Iraq

2005-06-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
Saddam will face only 12 charges at trial: "Ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could face up to 500 charges at a tribunal, but he will be tried on only 12 because prosecuting all would be a "waste of time," the prime minister's spokesman said Sunday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Kurdish rebels kill four Turkish soldiers: "Kurdish rebels have killed four Turkish soldiers in a clash in southeastern Turkey, officials said Sunday. The clash occurred near the city of Tunceli, the Anatolia news agency reported, citing the governor's office. It was not clear when the fighting took place."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Australian hostage in Iraq alive, says cleric: "SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian held hostage in Iraq for five weeks has been seen alive and well by an Australian mufti trying to negotiate his release, a local Muslim leader said on Sunday. Sheik...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi Airways Starts Flights to Southern Basra, Considers Expanding Service: "BASRA, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi Airways inaugurated a route from Baghdad to the southern city of Basra on Saturday, part of an expansion plan that also involves extreme security measures at the capital's air...

[in Tampa Bay Online]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Marines discover insurgent bunker...Quran reaction...Gore discusses global in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Bush's optimism on Iraq tested: "The disconnect between Rose Garden optimism and Baghdad pessimism, according to government officials and independent analysts, stems not only from Bush's focus on tentative signs of long-term progress...

[in MSNBC]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Saddam is depressed, says his trial judge: "05 June 2005 Saddam Hussein's morale has "collapsed" after nearly 18 months in jail awaiting trial, according to the man who will sit in judgment on him. Iraq's former dictator has been held in an Ame...

[in Independent]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Elected Iraqis hold session in Saddam's hometown: "The U.S. soldiers entered the battered government building, made their way past expressionless townspeople and came face to face with about a dozen men carrying AK-47s."

In HoustonChronicle.com -- Iraq

Iraqi troops seize militant 'prince of princes': "MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces have seized a senior militant leader linked to Jordanian mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and accused of overseeing an array of deadly attacks in Iraq, the Defense ...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

In Prison Duty Training, Military Guards Face Their First Riot at Home: "The Army is taking lessons learned from combat zones to train its security forces for guard duty at American detention centers."

In New York Times: World Special

Iraqi troops refuse to attend army training: "RUTBA:An Iraqi national guard unit has been disbanded after it refused to attend a military training academy overseen by US advisers, former members of the unit said on Sunday.

[in Stuff]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi, U.S. Troops Search for Insurgent Hideouts, Find Insurgent Lair and Arrest Dozens: "LATIFIYAH, Iraq (AP) - Hundreds of Iraqi and U.S. troops searched fields and farms Saturday for insurgents and their hideouts in an area south of Baghdad known for attacks, and the Marines said they d...

[in Tampa Bay Online]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Attacks in Iraq, 84 gunmen detained south of Baghdad: "Attacks in Iraq, 84 gunmen detained south of Baghdad Iraq, Military, 6/4/2005 Various areas in Iraq witnessed on Friday a series of explosions that resulted in killing and injuring scores, the las...

[in Arabic News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Surge in Iraq violence leaves 750 dead in May: "zones that have powered the on-going guerilla offensive in Iraq that claimed has continued with a suicide car bomber killing at least 10 Iraqis and wounding 10

[in Hindu]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-06-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Three suicide bombings in Iraq kill 20: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Three suicide car bombings killed 20 people in northern Iraq on Thursday, including a top municipal council leader and a bodyguard of Iraq's Kurdish deputy prime minister, officials said."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq

Beirut blast kills anti-Syrian journalist: "A prominent Lebanese journalist known for his anti-Syrian writings was killed after a bomb placed in his car exploded Thursday, police said, a slaying in the midst of parliamentary elections, free for the first time of overt Syrian interference."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Abu Ghraib GI: I'm No Bad Apple: "The first Army reservist to be freed after serving time in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal says he's a good person who was under conditions so stressful it would "drive the most docile soldier from 'Gomer Pyle' into 'Full Metal Jacket.'""

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

After the Shooting Has Stopped: "It's one of the deepest wounds a soldier can suffer, and one that few want to talk about. But it happened to an American GI in Baghdad whose convoy was attacked while hauling an emergency supply of fuel. He talks to David Martin."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

Stay The Course, Iraqi Foreign Minsiter Tells Allies: "Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari commented Wednesday after meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He said it's important the coalition be "firm and solid" while Baghdad builds its military a...

[in ABC 7]"

In The US News: Iraq News

US warns Iraq's neighbours not to help al Qaeda commander >: "Last Updated 02/06/2005, 11:02:41 The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, is warning countries in the Middle East not to offer medical treatment to al Qaeda's man in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi.Mr ...

[in Radio Australia]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Judge Hears Arguments Over AP's Publication of Iraqi Photos: "SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on The Associated Press' request to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the wire service violated copyright and privacy laws by publishing photos o...

[in Tampa Bay Online]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-06-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Civilian Deaths in May Increase: "Print this story. Iraqi civilian deaths in May increased nearly a third from the previous month, a Health Ministry official said Wednesday.Separately, an Interior Ministry official said 151 polic...

[in Tuscaloosa News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Car bomb hits Baghdad checkpoint, 15 wounded: "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb detonated at a checkpoint into Baghdad's international airport on Wednesday, wounding 15 civilians, the U.S. military said. The bomber blew up his vehicle amo...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

U.N. Worker Axed In Iraq Oil Flap: "Joseph Stephanides is the first U.N. official to be publicly fired by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the wake of an independent probe into allegations of corruption in the $64 billion oil-for-food program."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

Jerusalem wants to tear down Arab homes: "Eighty-eight homes in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem are marked for demolition to make way for an archaeological park documenting the disputed city's ancient Jewish origins, the engineer overseeing the project said Wednesday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Officials see terror threat from Iraq vets: "Veterans of the insurgency in Iraq pose such a threat, security measures will change Americans' quality of life, say former Bush anti-terror chiefs.

[in The US News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Sentences cut for Iraq abuse soldiers: "The British Army has reduced the sentences of two soldiers convicted of abusing Iraqi civilians.

[in The US News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-05-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

EU constitution 'is dead': "EU leaders have been warned by former commissioner Lord Kinnock to accept the French "non" vote meant that its constitution was now dead."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

4 Americans, 4 Italians dead in Iraq crash: "Four American and four Italian military personnel were killed in separate aircraft crashes, military officials said Tuesday, and Iraq's prime minister condemned the U.S. arrest of a top Sunni political leader."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Terrorism Arrests in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Voice on audio tape claims to be al-Zarqawi, says he's in good health in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

U.S. Planes Hit Iraq Insurgent Strongholds: "AP Photo BAG122 By PAUL GARWOOD Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The U.S. military nearly set off a sectarian crisis Monday by mistakenly arresting the leader of Iraq's top Sunni Muslim...

[in Guardian]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq to cut power subsidies: "The Iraqi government may decrease subsidies for fuel and electricity, despite a severe shortage of both in the country, according to Electricity Minister Mihsen Shalash. The government blamed shortage...

[in AME Info]"

In The US News: Iraq News

27 killed in Iraq attacks >: "Last Updated 31/05/2005, 08:27:40 At least 27 people have died in a double suicide attack south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.Police say two bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of about 500 former ...

[in Radio Australia]"

In The US News: Iraq News

â??Things are getting worse by the day.â??: "The mayhem continues in Iraq, with today at least 40 people dead, including five US soldiers in Diyala province as the meltdown of the failed US-led occupation continues.

Two suicide bombers detonated themselves after walking into a crowd of police officers in Hilla, south of Baghdad. The policemen were demonstrating outside the mayorâ??s office to protest a government decision to disband their Special Forces unit."

In Electronic Iraq

Iraq Islamic leader held and freed: "U.S. forces in Baghdad Monday detained Iraqi Islamic Party Secretary-General Mohsen Abdel Hamid and his sons for several hours, then released them.

[in The US News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
Hamas militant group agrees to end attacks: "The Hamas militant group has agreed to halt mortar and rocket fire on Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, a deal meant to save a truce threatened by three consecutive days of violence, the Palestinian interior ministry said Saturday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Sun has published more Saddam snaps: "The Sun has published new prison photos of Saddam Hussein's top lieutenants, a day after showing the toppled Iraqi dictator in his underpants in jail."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Pictures of Saddam in skivvies raise ruckus: "WASHINGTON : The publication on Friday of photographs of Saddam Hussein wearing only underwear in his cell in Iraq led the Bush administration on Friday to open an investigation into how the pict...

[in Deseret News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi leaders call for restraint: "SUNNI and Shiite clerics have called for restraint as sectarian tensions rise, and Iraqi officials suggest Saddam Hussein might go on trial within a month. All occurred amid the release by a Britis...

[in The Daily Telegraph]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Paper Prints More Photos of Saddam in Jail: "A British tabloid published more revealing photographs of Saddam Hussein in U.S. custody on Saturday, a day after it ran a front-page picture of the former Iraqi leader naked except for his underwear."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Abu Ghraib prison attacked by insurgents: "Five detainees were wounded in an insurgent rocket attack on Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison Friday.

[in The US News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

U.S. casualty count in Iraq over 1,600: "The Iraq war and occupation has claimed over 1,623 troops, including 1,244 killed in action so far, according to the Pentagon's latest numbers.

[in The US News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-05-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
More bodies found in Iraq, total up to 45: "Three Iraqis were found shot dead near a Baghdad dam on Monday and a slain Iraqi Kurd was left in a garbage dump in northern Iraq, raising the number of bodies found in recent days to 45. The government vowed to find those responsible, saying insurgents were seeking to exploit sectarian rivalries."

In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

Rice praises creation of Iraqi cabinet: "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the new multiethnic government of Iraq deserves credit for organizing a working Cabinet three months after landmark elections in January, not blame for taking so long."

In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

Newsweek apologizes for Quran story errors: "In an apology to readers this week, Newsweek acknowledged errors in a story alleging U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran. The accusations, which the magazine vowed to re-examine, spawned protests in Afghanistan that left 15 dead and scores injured."

In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

Minstrel Boy: LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES

2005-04-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES
Who in their right mind would vote to stop the production of armored humvees, to lay off workers at the only plant that makes them? Who would turn off the production while leaving tens of thousand of soldiers to drive hill billy armored humvees before the enemy's improvised explosive devices, car bombs and rocket propelled grenades?

The odds are 39% that it was your senator. That's right.

A simple measure to keep the production of armored humvees at two shift capacity for a couple of extra months this summer passed by only a 22 vote margin; 61 to 39 in the Senate this week.

If you care about the troops, you'd better pay attention because things are horribly wrong.

With $81 billion in "emergency" supplemental spending this year for Iraq and Afghanistan, one assumes (incorrectly) that armored humvees would be at the top of the list since around 400 of the 1500 fatalities were killed in them; a tally that increases daily. One might assume military spending on a solution would be a priority in Washington but it isn't.

Haven't you heard? The problem is solved. That's what the Army says. So instead the Emergency Supplemental funds for the war pay to move a police station to make way for a baseball stadium in Washington DC, it funds a ship terminal in Pennsylvania, it funds a large library in Hawaii, a fish hatchery elsewhere, a states' rights fight over islands off Alabama, and the list goes on.

So along comes little Amendment 520 sponsored by Sen. Bayh of Indiana and Sen. Kennedy: a small amount of money for a big matter. The amendment asks for $213 million to be added to the measure keep the only armored humvee production plant running at a two shift capacity this summer instead of shutting it down and laying off workers for lack of orders from the Army. As Tom Squitieri of USA TODAY noted,

Minstrel Boy: LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES

2005-04-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Milbloggers et all
MilBloggers,

The Department of North Carolina: Veterans of Foreign Wars together with the Departments of Virginia, Delaware, Missouri and Wyoming are pleased to announce that our new Military WebCOM Video Conferencing Program for our soldiers and their families is ready for Beta Testing. Our program will enable a Solider and a significant other to communicate with audio/video via the Internet at no cost.

National VFW Commander John Furgess has offered to inaugurate the program by placing the first call to the troops.

What we need are volunteers presently stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan with the "right stuff" a computer, Internet connection , a web cam and the ability to be available today April 23 at 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time.

The VFW through programs like its Operation Uplink has always demonstrated its support in assisting military families in staying connected. This new Departmental program will only strengthen this dedicated effort.

If you can support our efforts or have any questions please e-mail vfwwebcom@gmail.com or call Ross Myers or Tara Sue Clark at (336) 235-2393. Thank you.

Yours in Service,

Ross Myers

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

2005-04-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

2005-04-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
Gunmen fire on Iraq cleric's supporters: "Gunmen fired on supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday, killing one person and wounding two others as they made their way to protests planned for the second anniversary of Baghdad's fall to U.S.-led troops."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Egypt blast raises concerns of insurgency: "Bloodstains remained among the jewelry and souvenir shops in one of Cairo's main tourist bazaars Friday, a day after a bomb blast killed three people, including an American, and raised worries about a revival of Islamic militant attacks on foreigners that devastated Egypt's economy in the 1990s."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

U.S. military: Cameraman detained in Iraq: "A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the U.S. military said Friday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

4 Iraqi children killed: "(04-08) 09:03 PDT BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Four children collecting trash were killed Friday by a homemade bomb in Baghdad, and masked gunmen killed an Iraqi Army officer in a restaurant in the southern...

[in San Francisco Chronicle]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq's President Expects Constitution by August: "By Mariam Karouny BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's new president, veteran Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, said Friday that lawmakers will meet a mid-August deadline for writing a constitution despite week...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

U.S. says detained Iraqi women were not held hostage: "The U.S. military said on Friday two Iraqi women detained for six days had been held on suspicion of complicity in insurgent attacks, not used as hostages to pressure fugitive male relatives to surrender."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq

U.S. growers sell rice to Iraq, once their top market: "After trying for more than a year, American rice growers are finally selling rice to Iraq. Iraq purchased 60,000 metric tons of U.S. rice, the Agriculture Department said Thursday. Based on average price in the region, the sale could be worth $10 million to $19 million, depending on the type of rice and other factors."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq

Arab leaders congratulates Talbani on election as president of Iraq: "Arab leaders congratulates Talbani on election as president of Iraq Regional-Iraq, Politics, 4/8/2005 Arab leaders sent congratulations to Jalal Talabani who was elected as a new interim president...

[in Arabic News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2005-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Blckfive asks for our help
Hi MilBlogs and Friends-

Eason Jordan, the Chief News Executive of CNN recently made statements

at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he accused American

servicemen of intentionally targeting and killing journalists in Iraq.

These are serious charges that should not have been made without

supporting evidence, which he did not provide.

American servicemen and women are risking their lives daily and it is

wholly inappropriate for a man of his stature and influence to make

baseless claims in front of an international audience. As an

experienced journalist, he fully understands the impact of his words

and the effects on his audience. Mr. Jordan has a past history of

making such statements.

I would request that you take a look at this issue which I believe the

MilBloggers and their supporters would have an interest in helping.

Easongate ( http://www.easongate.com ) has been created by some former

military men to gather signatures and engage CNN in order to create

change in

irresponsible media.

Our hope is that CNN will launch an investigation into Mr. Jordan's

past and recent history, and take appropriate action. We hope to

provide the means for the public to place pressure on CNN to act.

We need your help.

Please forward the EasonGate Petition (

http://gogman.is-a-geek.com/Easongate_Petition/sign.asp

) to your readers. Conservatively, we need 100,000 signatures to make

attract the attention of CNN's advertisers.

Any help is appreciated. We've got a lot of things in the works to

move this issue ahead in the media. Also, NZ Bear is listing the

blogs that refer to EasonGate -

http://www.truthlaidbear.com/easongate.php .

Be sure to send me a link if you write about EasonGate.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards,

Matt

Blackfive

http://www.blackfive.net

2005-02-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

2005-01-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Sunni Marginalization Risks Worsening Iraq Turmoil: "Only four weeks before crucialelections, sectarian divisions threaten to worsen Iraq'sunrest, with majority Shi'ite Muslims poised for politicaldominance and many Sunni Arabs boycotting the polls or tooafraid to vote."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Suicide Bomber Kills 21 Iraqi Troops: "A suicide car bomb hit a bus carryingIraqi National Guards on Sunday, killing 22 people in thedeadliest attack of its kind in nearly four months on Iraqiscooperating with U.S. forces to secure a Jan. 30 election."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Insurgent attacks in Iraq usher in New Year (Chicago Tribune): "Chicago Tribune - The new year opened in Iraq with the same death and dismay that brought 2004 to a close: Attacks on and assassinations of Iraqi security forces and civilians targeted for working with the interim government or its U.S. military backers."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Car Bomb Explosion Kills 18 Iraqi Troops: "A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb north of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 19 Iraqis â?? all but one of them National Guards â?? in another strike against Iraqis cooperating with American forces, the U.S. military said. Four Iraqi policemen were killed in a separate attack."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

17 die in Iraqi blast: "Baghdad - Nineteen people were killed in a car bomb attack on Sunday on a bus carrying members of the Iraqi national guard near the town of Balad, north of

[in News24]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Wartime blogs serve as dispatches from the front: ""The day before yesterday a big bomb exploded in Baghdad (Iraq) in Al-Rabee Street near my house," the Web log, or blog, reads.

[in DetNews.com]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Suicide bomb on national guard bus kills 19 as bloodshed greets Iraq in 2005: "Nineteen people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a bus carrying members of the Iraqi national guard near a US military base north of Baghdad, the US army said, as Iraqi insurgents made a bl...

[in Turkish Press]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Tories criticise jail sentence plan: "New legislation will put pressure on the courts to ration jail sentences, the Conservatives claimed."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Eleven Iraqi soldiers and one civilian killed in car bomb ...: "BAGHDAD, Iraq The US says 12 people including eleven Iraqi national guard troops have been killed in a car bombing. A military spokesman

[in WSTM-TV]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Report set to criticise police: "Britain's police forces will face severe criticism in a think-tank report to be published next week."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Lowell soldier's job: Train Iraqi soldiers to be the best: "10-person Green Beret squad, but he played a critical role: As a weapons and tactics specialist, Ryan was in charge of training dozens of Iraqi National Guard

[in Lowell Sun]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Car bomb kills 19 Iraqis north of Baghdad as officer, Shiite ...: "At least 19 people were killed Sunday in a suicide car bomb attack on a bus carrying members of the Iraqi national guard near a US military base north of

[in Al-Bawaba]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Lejeune Marines will head to Iraq with better armor: "CAMP LEJEUNE -- Marines who deploy to Iraq this year will have improved armor on their Humvees, an upgrade that has nothing to do with the recent criticism of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the ...

[in News Observer]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

Web video shows gunmen kill Iraq officers: "BAGHDAD, Iraq â?? Al-Qaida's arm in Iraq released a video yesterday showing its militants lining up five captured Iraqi security officers and executing them in the street, the latest move in a cam...

[in The Seattle Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

in

US Reinforcements Arrive in Mosul: "

From the AFP via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

A new contingent of US troops has arrived in Mosul to help boost security in the restive northern Iraqi city ahead of nationwide elections.
â??Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Mosul yesterday in an effort to provide enhanced security and stability for the January 30 elections,â?? a military statement said.

â??The 82nd will operate under the command and control of Task Force Olympia within Multi-National Brigade North-west area of operations.â??

The senior US military commander for Iraq, General John Abizaid, said recently that some 6,000 to 8,000 new troops would be deployed in Mosul ahead of the legislative vote.

"

In Command Post: Irak

US Soldier Killed by Roadside Bomb: "

From Reuters via The Australian :

A roadside bomb blast killed one US soldier and wounded another north of Baghdad yesterday, the American military said today.

"

In Command Post: Irak

Twenty-two Iraqi soldiers, policemen killed in separate attacks in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

2005-01-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Zarqawi group executes five Iraqi national guards: video: "The group of Al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi aired a video on the Internet purporting to show the execution of five members of the Iraqi national guard in the militant stronghold of Ramadi."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Three Roadside Bombs Target Iraq Troops: "At least three roadside bombs targeted Iraqi security troops Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Ayad Allawi warned Iraq's neighbors to crack down on insurgents infiltrating from their territory, saying that Iraq's patience was wearing thin."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

On radio, Democrat says troops in Iraq deserve more support in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

in

Suicide Car Bomber Kills Seven in Iraq's North: "By Sabah al-Bazee BAIJI, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed seven people, five of them Iraqi National Guards, near the northern town of Baiji Friday, as the insurgent campaign to wreck th...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

Iraq's 'Mrs. Anthrax' Has Cancer: "web sites ) refused to comment on the report that Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash has cancer. "I am not able to discuss the health condition of our detainees," said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson. "Certainly we hav...

[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas: "US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas KABUL, Dec 25 (AFP) - "There but for the grace of God go I," is a common refrain among US troops stationed in Afghanistan for ...

[in General Sources]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Time is ticking away for Iraq, UAE paper: "Dec 31, 2004 - 10:29 - Time is ticking away for Iraq, UAE paper ABU DHABI, 31 Dec. 04 (WAM)--A UAE paper today commented on the current cycle of violence in Iraq, saying before criticising others for ...

[in Emirates News Agency]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

A Daily Look at U.S. Iraq Military Deaths: "web sites ) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,190 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 933 deaths resulting from hostile action, ac...

[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Allawi warns Iraq's neighbors: "Baghdad, Iraq - Prime Minister Ayad Allawi made an unusually strong warning to Iraq's neighbors to crack down on insurgents infiltrating from their territory, saying Friday that Iraq's patience is wea...

[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2004-12-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Iraq's insurgents grow proficient in violence: "Washington - By key measures of the level of insurgent violence against American forces in Iraq - numbers of dead, wounded and insurgent attacks - the situation has grown worse since summer. While tho...

[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Parliament deadlock delays approval on extended SKorean mission in Iraq: "Photo: AFP SEOUL (AFP) - Opposition lawmakers put up a human wall in parliament, delaying approval to extend the deployment of South Korean troops in Iraq. Praliamentary work was paralized when doze...

[in AFP via Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Schofield Soldiers Return From Iraq: "WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Oahu, Hawaii -- More than 100 Schofield Barracks soldiers returned Thursday morning from a nearly yearlong deployment to Iraq.

[in The Hawaii Channel]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Militants warn Iraqis to shun elections: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Three militant groups released a statement saying democracy is un-Islamic and warned Iraqis that if they vote in Jan. 30 elections they risk being attacked."

In Modesto Bee: Iraq

1ST ID SOLDIERS DETAIN 49 SUSPECTS DURING OPERATION POWDER RIVER in CENTCOM: News Release

City Plans a Texas-Size Send-Off for Guard Troops Headed to Iraq: "WACO, Texas â?? Not far from the ranch where President Bush is spending the holidays, the impact of the war in Iraq is being driven home in this city of 113,000."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas: "US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas KABUL, Dec 25 (AFP) - "There but for the grace of God go I," is a common refrain among US troops stationed in Afghanistan for ...

[in General Sources]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Rebels attack Iraqi security forces: "BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents launched multiple attacks on Iraqi police across the dangerous Sunni Triangle on Tuesday, killing 24 people -- including 19 policemen -- a day after the major Sunni Muslim ...

[in Casper Star Tribune]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq needs $55 billion for reconstruction: "DUBAI - Iraq has estimated a cost of approximately $55 billion for the reconstruction of the country for 2005-2007, said Dr Mehdi Hafedh, minister of planning and development cooperation and chairman ...

[in Business Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Mortar strike sets fire to Iraqi oil refinery: "Baghdad - A mortar strike set fire to Baghdad's Dura oil refinery on Thursday night, an interior ministry official said. Baghdad firefighters were struggling to put out the blaze and called for hel...

[in IOL]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Bush touts Iraqi election: "CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- President Bush on Wednesday denounced Osama bin Laden's call to boycott the Iraqi elections, saying the balloting offers a choice between free expression and a "dark vision of ...

[in Casper Star Tribune]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Turkish Truck Driver Killed In Iraq: "SAMARRA (AA) - A Turkish driver was killed in northern part of Iraq, sources said on Wednesday. The driver was killed in an ambush near Bidiyah town, south of Samarra. He could not be identified yet. ...

[in Turkish Press]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

2004-12-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
in

Religious or secular government?: "Top Shiite Muslim leaders, who are expected to wield the most power after next month's parliamentary elections, are locked in a fierce dispute over whether the new Iraq should be a constitution-based democracy or an Iranian-style state in which clerics reign supreme."

In Kansas.com: Iraq

Iraq May Set Aside Seats for Sunnis: "CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Iraq's electoral commission is considering setting aside seats in the country's national assembly for Sunni Arab politicians and other

[in Washington Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqis to stay on at bases: "AMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -American commanders are fully aware that Iraq's insurgents exploit their policy of employing locals on US military bases but insist the

[in Concord Monitor]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Two Terrorist Suspects Arrested in Irbil, Iraq: "Regarding intelligence that an Iraqi resistance group had ordered terrorist attacks on Korean troops stationed in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil, it has been

[in Chosun Ilbo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Luring Iraqis to polls rates as very tough task: "Full-page newspaper ads remind Iraqis that "divided we fall." Posters are plastered all around Iraq's streets, even on US Army concrete barriers, listing

[in AZ Central.com]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Bremer gets medal after Iraqi looting: "Paul Bremer, in charge of Iraq after Mission Accomplished, dismissed the entire Iraqi Batthist army that could have been used to guard and rebuild that country

[in Sun-Sentinel.com]"

In The US News: Iraq News

The Perfect Candidate for Iraq: "More than 100 slates of candidates are in the running, but I know whom Iraq voters' choice should be. Iraq is running out of its own politicians.

[in Common Dreams]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi police ambushed; U.S. launches new attack: "Baghdad, Iraq - U.S. forces launched a new offensive Wednesday against insurgents in an area south of the capital dubbed the "triangle of death," while militants ambushed an elite Iraqi police unit in...

[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News

New offensive launched south of Baghdad: "BAGHDAD, Iraq â?? U.S. forces launched a new offensive yesterday against insurgents in an area south of the capital after militants ambushed an elite Iraqi police unit in a Baghdad neighborhood kn...

[in The Seattle Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Dozens killed in Iraq clashes as two Lebanese kidnapped: "Click to enlarge BAGHDAD (AFP) - Pitched battles between US troops and Iraqi insurgents in strife-torn Mosul left at least 26 dead including one US soldier as two Lebanese businessmen were kidnapped...

[in AFP via Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas: "US troops see progress in Afghanistan, grateful not in Iraq for Christmas KABUL, Dec 25 (AFP) - "There but for the grace of God go I," is a common refrain among US troops stationed in Afghanistan for ...

[in General Sources]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Zarqawi aide arrested: Baghdad: "December 30, 2004 US-led forces in Iraq have captured a senior member of the al-Qaeda-linked network led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi Government said today. Fadil Hussain Ahm...

[in The Australian]"

In The US News: Iraq News

in

U.S. Soldier Dies After Car Bomb Blast in Iraq: "MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier died in hospital Wednesday from wounds sustained in a car bomb attack on a patrol in the city of Mosul, the American military said on Thursday. Troops in Mosu...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Troops, Insurgents Clash In Mosul: "American troops and warplanes fought off insurgents launching and attack on a U.S. outpost in Mosul with a car bomb and explosives, the military said. At least 25 insurgents were said to be killed. One U.S. soldier died after the firefight."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

2004-12-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Blast Kills 28 During Police Raid in Baghdad: "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A powerful blast destroyed a house in western Baghdad during an overnight raid by police, flattening several nearby buildings and killing at least 28 people including seven policem...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq Govt. Mission: Luring Voters to Polls: "Print this story. BAGHDAD, Iraq - It seems like mission impossible: How will Iraq's interim government lure people to vote in the January election amid a deadly insurgency targeting polling stati...

[in Tuscaloosa News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

30 die as rebels hit Iraqi troops, cops: "An Iraqi man injured in a car-bomb explosion is brought into a hospital in Samarra on Tuesday. A suicide bomber detonated his car in the center of the city, wounding 10 people, including three childre...

[in Denver Post]"

In The US News: Iraq News

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) A Polish woman held hostage in Iraq...: "KRAKOW, Poland (AP) A Polish woman held hostage in Iraq for nearly a month was terrified of being rescued by US troops because she believed any military-style

[in Boston Globe]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Speeches, Iraq could recast Bush's image: "That distinction, which pollsters and analysts blame on public discontent over the war in Iraq, comes as Bush begins drafting two major speeches that could

[in Houston Chronicle]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Uneasy agreement in fight over role of clerics in new Iraq: "BAGHDAD, Iraq â?? Top Shiite Muslim leaders, who are expected to wield the most power after next month's parliamentary elections, are locked in a dispute over whether the new Iraq should be a cons...

[in The Seattle Times]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Al-Zarqawi's Group Claims Iraq Attack: "In a statement posted on an internet web site, al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq said one of its members carried out the suicide attack near Abdel Aziz al-Hakim's office Monday that killed 15 people and w...

[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq Signs First Postwar Oil Field Contract: "The ministry awarded last week the contract to develop Khormala Dome oil field, northwest of the Iraqi oil rich city of Kirkuk, to Britain's D.P.S, Turkey's Avrasya, and Iraq's K.A.R. (In a stor...

[in Morning Star]"

In The US News: Iraq News

A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq: "web sites ) declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,187 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 931 deaths resulting from hostile action, ac...

[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Bin Laden Says Fighting in Iraq Muslims' Duty -- Web: "By Miral Fahmy DUBAI (Reuters) - An audio tape purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged Muslims to wage holy war against U.S. forces and the government in Iraq, saying they would be c...

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Claims Credit For Failed Assassination Attempt On Shiite Leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim: "

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist group, al-Qaida in Iraq formerly Tawhid and Jihad, has claimed credit for the failed assassination attempt on top Shiite leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim that killed 15 and wounded 50. The statement was posted to an internet website.

Yahoo/AP

The group of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility Tuesday for the assassination attempt against the leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim party that killed and wounded dozens of people.
"On Monday morning, one of the lions of the martyrdom seekers brigades, belonging to the military wing of al-Qaida in Iraq launched an attack in order to wipe out one of the symbols of treason for the Americans," the statement said.
It added that "We tell you Hakim that if one arrow missed you we have many more arrows."

Tipped by: Chad at In The Bullpen (Crossposted to The Jawa Report). Chad has more to say on this.

Originally posted at Diggers Realm

"

In Command Post: Irak

IRAQI SECURITY FORCES DEFEAT INSURGENT COORDINATED ATTACKS, MNF DETAINS 18 in CENTCOM: News Release

RESETTLEMENT UPDATE FOR FALLUJAH in CENTCOM: News Release

2004-12-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Iraqi Judges Start Quizzing Saddam Aides (AP): "AP - Iraqi judges on Saturday started interrogating Saddam Hussein's former defense minister and the notorious general known as Chemical Ali, who is accused of gassing thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, the lead judge said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

'Chemical Ali' Opens New Stage in Iraq Trials (Reuters): "Reuters - Saddam Hussein's cousin and feared lieutenant Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," and former defense minister Sultan Hashem appeared before an investigating magistrate on Saturday, an Iraqi judge said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Shiite poll showing raises Iraq concerns: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A resounding Shiite victory in next month's elections will bring Iraq closer to Tehran, forming a "Super Iran" that could change the face of the Middle East, critics say."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq

Sailor dies on Gulf patrol: "A sailor serving in Iraq has died while on patrol in the Gulf."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Iraqis Face Winter Shivering by Candlelight: "As if the daily struggle to dodgebullets and bombings is not enough, many Iraqis now face afreezing winter shivering by candlelight as persistent attackskeep the power out for more than 12 hours a day."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Saudi Oil Giant Says Maintaining High Security: "State-owned giant Saudi Aramco said onSaturday it remained "on alert at all times" to secure theworld's biggest oilfields, after Osama bin Laden urgedmilitants to attack Iraqi and Gulf oil facilities."

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Officer arraigned in Iraq killing case: "By David Rising, Associated Press | December 18, 2004. BERLIN -- An Army officer was arraigned yesterday on charges of dereliction

[in Boston Globe]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Tareq Aziz ages in Iraqi jail: "counsel. Aziz, who studied English literature and briefly worked as a journalist, was born in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

[in Reuters]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqis win death test case probe: "The families' lawyer said failing to adequately investigate had breached the Iraqis' human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

[in BBC News]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi rebels kill 3 foreigners: "Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents killed at least three foreigners on Friday in Mosul, a northern city that became a stronghold after Fallujah fell to U.S. and Iraqi forces. Militants also ...

[in Billings Gazette]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi woman killed at US checkpoint: "US soldiers have killed an Iraqi woman at a checkpoint in Kirkuk after the driver allegedly failed to stop as US contractors came under attack in Baiji.

[in Al-Jazeera.Net]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Embassy Identifies U.S. Man Held in Iraq: "The U.S. Embassy confirmed the name of an American kidnapped six weeks ago in a deadly attack in the Iraqi capital, and his family pleaded Friday for his release.

[in Yahoo]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Turkish embassy guards killed in Iraq >: "Last Updated 18/12/2004, 17:21:41 Attackers in Iraq have killed at least four Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad.Turkish foreign ministry says they were killed near the north...

[in Radio Australia]"

In The US News: Iraq News

Iraq violence surges ahead of elections: "Several Turkish embassy guards, on their way from Turkey to Baghdad, were killed in an armed attack in Mosul, as Iraq braced for new violence ahead of January's historic elections.

[in Turkish Press]"

In The US News: Iraq News

2004-11-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
They won the battle, but their losses will haunt: "FALLUJAH, Iraq â?? 1st Lt. Edward Iwan was taking a welcome break. Resting in a parked Humvee, he scrolled down a flat blue computer screen, mounted to the dashboard."

In Kansas City Star: Iraq

Four UK staff killed in Iraq attack: "Four former Gurkha soldiers working for a British security firm have been killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad's Green Zone."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

U.N.: 3,000 Iran Kurds Cut Off From Aid (AP): "AP - Nearly 3,000 Iranian Kurds at a decades-old refugee camp in western Iraq have been left without police protection as residents and local security forces flee fighting in the area, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Insurgents at Fallujah claim to have Regrouped: "

From The Australian :

Insurgents in Fallujah have claimed in a statement that they have reorganised after a massive US-Iraqi onslaught against the rebel city and resumed their attacks.
â??After reorganising, the Mujahedeen resumed their attacks Wednesday with the aim of shattering the myth of the invincibility of the coalition forces, and the traitors and collaborators who are under the orders of Allawi and Naqib.â??
[â?¦]
Fridayâ??s Mujahedeen statement, posted on an Islamist website (www.al-moharer.net), claimed that clashes took place in northern Fallujah in recent days.

â??The Mujahedeen will teach a memorable lesson to the collaborators who sold Iraq and prove to Arab regimes that only the language of guns and martyrs makes a difference,â?? it said.

Historically, whenever one side talks about the â??Myth of Invincibilityâ?? of the other, it means theyâ??ve suffered nothing but an unending series of military catastrophes so far.

(Enemy Bluster)"

In Command Post: Irak

Top general thanks troops in Afghanistan: "Gen. John Abizaid pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and took his place behind a counter to serve steaming Thanksgiving food to U.S. troops Thursday. (USATODAY.com)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

US troops find at least 12 more bodies in Mosul (AFP): "AFP - At least 12 more bodies were found by US troops fighting insurgents in Mosul, bringing to 40 the number of grim discoveries in the northern city over the past week."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Iraqi PM Allawi to visit Germany for Schroeder talks (AFP): "AFP - Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is to visit Germany next week for talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

IRAQ: IRCS delivered aid to Fallujah: "BAGHDAD, 26 Nov 2004 (IRIN) - After more than two weeks of conflict inside Fallujah, 60km from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the Iraq Red Crescent Society (IRCS) delivered aid to the heart of the city on Thursday."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis

2004-11-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

Iraq Today
RAF jets escort Pakistan airliner: "Two RAF fighter planes were scrambled to escort a passenger jet towards a British airport after the jumbo's crew repeatedly failed to contact air traffic controllers."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Bounties Offered on Americans in Iraq: "A portly Shiite cleric, Abu Qusai sheds his black robe for a training suit and exchanges his white turban for a baseball cap, an effort to mask his identity for a risky trip through what has become known as the "triangle of death." (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Site: Zarqawi Group Beheads Two Iraqi Soldiers: "The group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musabal-Zarqawi said it beheaded two Iraqi soldiers in broaddaylight in Mosul, a statement found on an Islamist Web site onFriday said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Grim, Angry Rites as Falluja Buries Its Dead: "The urban battlefield of Fallujais disgorging its dead. Slowly. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Site: Zarqawi Group Beheads Two Iraqi Soldiers (Reuters): "Reuters - The group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it beheaded two Iraqi soldiers in broad daylight in Mosul, a statement found on an Islamist Web site on Friday said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

French "Expert" condemns US "State Terrorism": "

From Islam Online :

Washington will win the military battle in the western Iraqi city of Fallujah but its strategic looses[sic] will certainly outweigh such a victory, said a French strategic expert.
Branding the US practices against the Fallujah residents as â??state terrorism,â?? Pascal Boniface, Director of the Institute for International and Strategic Studies [sic] in Paris, expected the onslaught to further fan anti-US feelings in the entire Islamic world.

Addressing a seminar organized by the Arab World Institute on Wednesday, November 17, Boniface said the cold-blooded killing of an unarmed, wounded Iraqi by a US soldiers in a Fallujah mosques was not an isolated incident.

He said the murder as well as the prisoners abuses in the infamous Abu Ghreib and Guantanamo Bay detentions demonstrate an established policy and doctrine.
[â?¦]
The French expert described the Fallujah offensive as a â?? strategic lossâ?? for the Bush administration.

The Americans would undoubtedly win the fighting but they would strategically lose the battle as they did with the Iraq invasion, Boniface said.
[â?¦]
The French expert considered the Fallujah operation as a new proof of American troubles in the Iraqis quagmire.

He refuted American allegations that the offensive was to eliminate terrorists from the city.

Boniface expected the onslaught to fan the already spiraling anti-US sentiments across Arab and Muslim countries and create more generations of those described by Washington as terrorists, not only in Iraq but in other parts of the world.

He added that the operation also killed stone dead the legitimacy of the planned January elections and its outcome.

The interim government lost credibility among Iraqis and Arabs who see it as a puppet in the hands of the US occupation forces, said the French expert.
[â?¦]
Boniface hailed Arab popular reaction to the Fallujah offensive.

He said that despite the absence of democracy and political pressure groups, the Arab public opinion is turning into a mighty force interacting with developments in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

The French expert noted that the emerging force of the public opinion, motivated by the Arab satellite channels, is now seen by the west and the Americans as the official spokesman of the Arab world.

The well-connected Paris-based IRIS (Institute for International and Strategic Relations) is not to be confused with the highly regarded IISS, (International Institute for Strategic Studies).

(Axis of Weasels)"

In Command Post: Irak

Al Zaquawi HQ an Intelligence Windfall: "

Elaborating on a previous post, from Middle East Online :

The US-led assault on Fallujah has â??broken the back of the insurgencyâ?? in Iraq by taking away its safe haven, scattering operatives and disrupting their command networks, the top US marine commander in Iraq said.
Lieutenant General John Sattler said the city was secure 11 days after the start of Operation Dawn, but not safe. Heavy fighting was still erupting in some quarters of the city as marines and Iraqi troops clear buildings of holdouts.

â??Based on some of the records and ledgers weâ??ve been able to uncover, we feel right now that we have â?¦ broken the back of the insurgency and weâ??ve taken away the safe haven,â?? Sattler said.

The offensive would force the insurgents to set up operations in less familiar areas with untested allies, he added.

(Intelligence Reports)"

In Command Post: Irak

US Marine, Iraqi Soldier Killed in Fallujah: "

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

The marine and soldier died during continuing mop-up operations in the former insurgent bastion, raising the coalition toll in the fighting to retake the city to 51 US dead and eight Iraqis, the top US Marine commander there said.
US-led troops continued to engage in sporadic battles against rebels in Fallujah after launching a major assault to wrest the Sunni Muslim city west of Baghdad from insurgents 10 days ago.
[â?¦]
Iraqi volunteers and US troops were able to clear 24 corpses from the battered city and evacuate five civilians.

The Iraqi Red Crescent said 150 families remained stranded.

From the New York Times :

The Department of Defense has identified 1,212 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the deaths of the following Americans this week:
HEFLIN, Christopher T., 26, Sgt., Marines; Paducah, Ky.; First Marine Division.

QUALLS, Louis W., 20, Lance Cpl., Temple, Tex.; Fourth Marine Division.

WULLENWABER, Luke C., 24, First Lt., Army; Lewiston, Idaho; Second Infantry Division.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak

Marine Intelligence Report warns against Premature Withdrawal: "

From The Age :

Senior US marine intelligence officers in Iraq are warning that insurgents will rebound from their defeat if planned cuts to US troop levels in Fallujah go ahead.
The rebels could thwart retraining of Iraqi security forces, intimidate local residents and derail January elections, the officers say.

They fear that despite the insurgentsâ?? heavy casualties in the week-long Fallujah battle, their numbers will continue to grow, there will be further guerilla attacks and fighters will foment unrest among Fallujahâ??s returning residents, using the idea that expectations for better conditions have not been met.

The warning is contained in a classified report prepared by intelligence officers in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force last weekend as the Fallujah offensive was winding down. The leaked assessment was distributed to senior officers in Iraq, where one called it â??brutally honestâ??.
[â?¦]
The intelligence assessment offers a stark counterpoint to more positive assessments by military chiefs in the wake of the Fallujah operation, which they say completed its goals well ahead of schedule and with fewer Iraqi civilian and US casualties than expected.

Senior military officers in Iraq and Washington who have read the report cautioned that the assessment was a subjective judgement by some marine intelligence officers near the front lines and did not reflect the views of all intelligence officials and senior commanders in Iraq.

â??The assessment of the enemy is a worst-case assessment,â?? the senior military intelligence officer in Iraq, Brigadier-General John DeFreitas, said.

â??We have no intention of creating a vacuum and walking away from Fallujah.â??

A senior officer in Washington said the view from the tactical intelligence level had generally been more pessimistic than that from officers at the strategic level.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak

French Casualties in Iraq: "

From the BBC :

Three Frenchmen have died fighting with insurgents against US-led troops in Iraq, reports say.
The men, all of Arab origin, were killed in the country over recent months as the insurgency has flared.

Two of the men were aged 19 and the third was 24 years old, a French official said.

Authorities estimate that around a dozen Frenchmen of North African or Arab background have travelled to Iraq to join the insurgency.

The men were identified as

24-year-old Tarek W, from Paris, killed on 17 September

19-year-old Redouane el-Hakim, killed on 17 July

Abdel Halim Badjoudj, 19, killed on 20 October.

Note that a handful of Australians, Britons and Americans were caught fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.

(Axis of Weasels)"

In Command Post: Irak

Al Sadr Aide, 104 Others Arrested: "

From the AFP via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

Iraqi police have arrested a senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr in the southern city of Najaf.
â??Sheikh Hashem Abu Raghif was arrested at his home Wednesday night after detainees were forced to confess that he had ordered torture against prisoners detained by the Sadr movement,â?? Sheikh Ali Smeism said.

Before it was ousted from Najaf after an August offensive led by the US army, the Sadr movement had established its own tribunals and jails in the holy city.

Meanwhile Iraqi police and national guards have detained more than 100 suspected militants in raids around Haifa Street, a rebellious Sunni Muslim stronghold in Baghdad.

In all 104 people were arrested, including nine who were suspected of having escaped from the US-led offensive against the rebel city of Fallujah over the past 10 days.

(Torture)"

In Command Post: Irak

Marine to stand court-martial in slaying of his alleged lover: "The court-martial of a Marine accused of killing a married woman with whom he allegedly had an affair is scheduled to begin Nov. 29."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq

Al-Zarqawi command centre found: "US troops sweeping through Fallujah found what appeared to be a command centre used by followers of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as a general declared the battle for the city had "broken the back of the insurgency"."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Bodies of 4 Iraqis flown to US for autopsy--victims of videotape shooting? in IraqWar.info

Militants Try to Stir Arab-Kurd Violence (AP): "AP - Insurgents battling U.S. and Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul have been trying to drag the Kurdish minority into their fight and set off a sectarian war, Kurdish and Arab officials say."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Marine commander shows pictures of insurgent weapons, hideouts in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Gehanna is Burning: "Smoke rises continually from the acres of garbage that fill the river bend in the Green Zone, US occupation headquarters, across the Tigris from our apartment. Apparently, with the security risks of dozens of garbage trucks entering and departing the Green Zone daily, someone decided to dump it all along the river, outside the concrete walls. It must be like the constantly burning â??Gehennaâ?? or hell that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. My memory is that Gehenna is an image of the valley below Jerusalem where the garbage was dumped and burned."

In Electronic Iraq

The Streets of Baghdad: "We had our daily car bomb today when a suicide bomber drove his car into a US patrol as it passed near the Yarmouk police station. Several Iraqis were killed, with no report yet on US casualties. I felt the rumble even though I was on a street far away from the blast-at least 5 miles distant. Walking and driving on the streets Baghdad I find myself in a sea of chaos. Traffic is mayhem for many reasons. The current fuel crisis being the lead cause. Lines at petrol stations stretch for miles at some of the stations. A common scene at these lines is that of people pushing their cars because they are already out of gas or to save what precious little may be left in their tank."

In Electronic Iraq

2004-11-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
31 U.S. Troops Killed So Far in Fallujah: "The weeklong U.S. offensive to retake the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah has claimed the lives of 31 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers, a U.S. general said Sunday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Falluja Residents Desperate for Food, Water, Aid: "No food. No water. No help. Asfierce fighting casts a pall of smoke over the rubble-strewnIraqi city of Falluja, thousands of Iraqi families remain cutoff from desperately needed supplies. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Bradley crew's shift: 19 hours in Fallujah shooting gallery (Chicago Tribune): "Chicago Tribune - After nearly 18 hours in the claustrophobic urban canyons that constitute the front lines of the battle for Fallujah, the crew of the lead Bradley Fighting Vehicle was cramped, weary and low on ammunition."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

6 Kurdish Militia Killed, 2 ING Slaughtered: "

From the New York Times :

In Mosul, 225 miles north of the capital, sporadic fighting erupted Saturday, but clashes were smaller than on Thursday, when groups of insurgents overran at least a half-dozen police stations, said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings, a spokesman for Task Force Olympia, assigned to control the northern region. Hundreds of policemen fled the guerrillas that day, and the Iraqi government fired the cityâ??s police chief on Friday.
Mosul has sizable numbers of Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Christians, and ethnic tensions have run high since the Americans invaded Iraq. It is clear that the Sunni Arabs are leading the insurgency here, while the Kurds and Christians are more sympathetic to the American forces.

A car bomb exploded next to a Kurdish patrol in the afternoon, killing at least six militiamen, witnesses said. The cityâ??s health bureau said that at least 25 people were killed and 62 wounded in violence on Thursday and Friday, though it was unknown how many of them were civilians and how many were guerrillas.

It is clear that the American-led forces were taken by surprise by the magnitude of the uprising. The Stryker Brigade, a light-armored mechanized unit based in Mosul, had to recall a battalion from the fighting in Falluja. The Iraqi government ordered four battalions of national guardsmen, all Kurds, to the city.

Up to 500 insurgents, far more than American and Iraqi intelligence had predicted, carried out the first big wave of attacks on police stations on Thursday by working in groups of 15 to 50, Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the Stryker Brigade, said in a telephone interview late Friday.

The general said he believed that the insurgency was being organized by former members of Saddam Husseinâ??s security forces.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry appointed a new police chief in Mosul on Saturday, and police officers were returning to the stations, some of which had been set afire, Colonel Hastings said. But the police were being confined to security duties at six sites, he added, because American soldiers might not be able to tell the real police from insurgents who could be roaming the city in stolen police uniforms or body armor.

In Al Wehda, a neighborhood of Mosul, insurgents slit the throats of two Iraqi National Guardsmen in the street, witnesses said.

â??When I was driving back to my house, I saw a huge gathering of people, so I stopped the car and went to see what was the matter,â?? said Muhammad Hazim, a resident. â??I saw a number of insurgents holding two Iraqi National Guard soldiers and reading a statement calling them traitors and collaborators with the enemy, and then they slaughtered them by slitting their throats and yelling, â??God is great!â?? â??

General Ham, the commander in Mosul, said the performance of the Iraqi policemen on Thursday had been â??very disappointing.â?? While raiding six or seven of the cityâ??s 33 police stations, the insurgents made off with up to 40 police vehicles, hundreds of weapons, handheld radios, computers, telephones, police uniforms and body armor.

(Mosul)"

In Command Post: Irak

US Soldier Killed in Baghdad: "

From the Times-Reporter :

The American military said that a U.S. soldier in Baghdad was killed by â??indirect fire,â?? probably referring to a mortar or rocket attack.

(Combat)"

In Command Post: Irak

For Iraqi Leader, Political Risks of Attack on Falluja Grow: "Rising public denunciation of the invasion of Falluja by prominent Iraqi groups has put Ayad Allawi's political support at risk when he needs it most."

In New York Times: World Special

Military hails attacks...Bridge to reopen....Palestinians move on in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Police chief says terror attacks have been thwarted in U-K in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Commander says U-S ground assault on Fallujah goes quicker than expected in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Fallujah offensive 'ahead of schedule': "The U.S. military's ground and air assault of Fallujah has gone quicker than expected, with the entire city occupied after six days of fighting, Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski said Sunday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Weary GI's Endure Relentless Combat: "

From the Chicago Tribune :

Jump out. Kick in door. Spray machine-gun fire. Run to rooftop. Kill enemy. Jump back into armored vehicle. Move to new location.
Repeat.

So goes the battle for Fallujah as experienced Friday by the exhausted and bewildered soldiers of the 3rd Brigade of the Armyâ??s 1st Infantry Division. Flanked by Marines, the bleary-eyed troops led the southern push to corner die-hard Sunni Muslim insurgents who were the last obstacles to full American control of the city.

(Media Bias)"

In Command Post: Irak

U.S. Says Aid Convoy Can't Go Into Falluja Today: "An Iraqi Red Crescent aid convoywaiting at the edge of Falluja will not be allowed to enter thecity center on Sunday, a U.S. Marine officer said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Fallujah falls...Body found...Elephants run amok in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Body of Western woman found: "US Marines have found the mutilated body of what they believe was a Western woman during a sweep of a street in central Fallujah."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Fallujah's Chamber of Horrors: "

From the AFP via The Australian :

The body of a woman in her 60s, with her legs and arms cut off and throat slit was found today in the city of Fallujah but it was unclear whether she was a foreigner or an Iraqi, marines said.
The discovery was made as the marines moved through the south of Fallujah, hunting out the remaining die-hard rebels after a week of fierce fighting to regain control of the city.

An AFP photographer embedded with the marines said the woman had grey hair, was wearing a blue dress and her face was completely disfigured.

The marines said she appeared to have been on the street for about two days.

Sweeps of rubble-strewn neighbourhoods in Fallujah have already uncovered a grisly underworld of hostage slaughterhouses, prisons and torture chambers as well as the corpses of Iraqis who had been executed, marines say.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak

3 Marines Die in Mined Building: "

From the AFP via The Australian :

Three Marines were killed yesterday by an explosion as they entered a booby-trapped building in central Fallujah, while another 13 were wounded in a firefight nearby, a marine officer told AFP today.
Of the 13, ten were seriously injured in the gun battle just south of the main road that cuts through the centre of the Sunni Muslim bastion, the officer said.

The latest deaths bring to at least 25 the number of US troops who have been killed in the fight for Fallujah, which was launched on Monday. Five Iraqi soldiers have also died along with more than 1000 rebels.

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak

Marines Tackle Last Redoubt: "

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Resistance has dwindled in the last rebel redoubt in Fallujah, US officers said, but explosions still shook the smoke-wreathed city as an Iraqi Red Crescent convoy waited nearby to distribute relief.
â??Two days ago they were coming out and fighting us. Last night they were running. It looks like we are about to break their will,â?? Captain Robert Bodisch, a US tank company commander, told Reuters. â??I donâ??t think it will be long now.â??

Fighting was focused mainly on the Shuhada district, viewed by US forces as a stronghold for foreign fighters led by Jordanian Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

But a Reuters reporter with the Red Crescent convoy at Fallujahâ??s main hospital by the Euphrates river on the western edge of the city said explosions had been sending up plumes of smoke in central and southern areas since 6:00am (local time).

(Fallujah)"

In Command Post: Irak

2004-11-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Iraqi official says 1,000 insurgents killed in Fallujah in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Insurgents captured in Fallujah...Bush sees 'progress' in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Aid 'enters embattled Iraqi city': "Iraqi Red Crescent officials say a convoy of emergency supplies has entered the war-torn city of Falluja."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Eyewitness: Ghost city calls for help: "An Iraqi reporter in Falluja describes the desperation and despair of its remaining inhabitants, hanging on for help as US forces battle insurgents."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

U.S. Troops Attack Holdouts in Fallujah: "Backed by tanks and artillery fire, U.S. troops launched a major attack Saturday against insurgent holdouts in southern Fallujah, hoping to finish off resistance in what had been the major guerrilla bastion of central Iraq. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Iraq say 'mission accomplished' in Fallujah, 1,000 rebels killed: "The military operation to regain control of Fallujah has ended and there are just "malignant" pockets of resistance left to clear up, with more than 1,000 rebels killed, Iraq's national security advisor said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

in

Jailed Palestinian wants to succeed Arafat: "Imprisoned uprising leader Marwan Barghouti has decided to run for president in upcoming Palestinian elections, a source close to the popular politician said Saturday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Black Watch net bomb suspects: "Black Watch troops have snared two suspected suicide bombers after a four-hour firefight with a mob of insurgents and a dramatic helicopter chase south of Baghdad."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Militants Take Control in Parts of Iraq's Mosul (Reuters): "Reuters - Insurgents were in charge of some areas of south and western Mosul on Saturday, holding two police stations and manning road blocks, as Iraq's third largest city appeared to slide out of U.S. and Iraqi control."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Three more Sunni clerics arrested by Iraqi forces in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

COVERAGE RUNDOWN WEEKEND in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Aid agencies see possible Fallujah crisis: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqis trapped in Fallujah face a humanitarian disaster unless Iraqi and U.S. authorities allow food, water and medicine into the besieged city, aid agencies said Friday."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq

Aid on way to embattled Falluja: "Relief trucks are heading towards the war-torn Iraqi city of Falluja - but they do not have permission to enter."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

A Soldiers Blog

2004-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

Martha Crowninshield O'Brien to Elaine
More options 8:25am (0 minutes ago)

Tattered Flags…….

Since September 11, 2001, much has happened in my life and the world. We’re currently on the brink of a questionable war, smack in the middle of a rare arctic chill continuing to do our best to live well in an unwell world. It’s scary and it stinks. So, driving home the other morning, following a chaotic night shift in delivery under the auspices of a full moon AND a significant shift in barometric pressure (two conditions destined to commence labor AND catastrophe), I was mildly annoyed at the condition of the American flags hanging from overpasses along the highway.

Tattered and worn, shredded and dotted with holes and dirt, they struck me as an eyesore. More than once I wished someone would remove them thinking they no longer reflected the crisp patriotic symbolism we had all come to embrace post 9/11. In some ways I think I couldn’t bear to see them flapping weakly in the breeze, barely recognizable from the beautiful bright American flags reflective of my idea of the United States of America…

Certainly I couldn’t be the only one disturbed by their condition over and over again driving by…Beaten down; useless; No longer regal. Just as quickly I would push that thought to some recess of my overburdened mind, and drive on toward home.

Some say there are defining moments in our lives that we will not ever forget. Events which, like discovered fossils, impress and imprint in such a manner that they are forever etched in our memory banks. Gone, but not forgotten. Something along those lines…September eleventh will never require the year attached in reference to the event. We all know the date…We dread it….We all remember and can’t ever forget. Those memories keep drifting in and out like wisps of smoke from embers of a flame once furious and over time, significantly silenced. Those shredded flags made me remember over and over again, all the feelings I personally experienced that day…..

I spent the night time portion of 9/11 working in labor and delivery. Often I felt as though I should simply move into the suite since I was there so often. I don’t recall the circumstances or any of the patients I treated. Nor can I bring to mind the names of any of the nurses there with me…It was to be the last of any of my relatively benign night shifts. If asked who the call doctor was I might have known prior to the twin towers. Not after or at least, not that night.

What DOES come to mind is waking up to a magnificent brilliantly sunny September morning immersed in guilt because I was just too tired to get up and bring my little ones, ages one, three and four to the playground, as I had promised. I hoped they would forgive me. I knew they wouldn’t understand. I gave thanks that my husband was downstairs feeling well and caring for them. I reflected how fortunate I was. Ironic, when I look back at that time.

On my way to the bathroom I discovered the clock had stopped, and turned on the TV to check the time. At the exact moment I did that, I watched in surreal horror and disbelief as a plane hit the second tower. The correspondent was teary and emotional. I thought I must be dreaming and changed the channel. Again and again and again. When reality hit me a moment or two later, I wished but then knew it must not be a dream. The events were all too real. I was too horrified to cry but knew I must collect myself and be with my family.

Downstairs I heard various timbres of voices filtering through the door. I paused there then, to hear the laughter. I peered in to the room, unseen by them, and watched the little ones play excitedly with their daddy and each other. Memorizing the pure joy on their faces, I remember being struck by the sad fact that whatever transpired, their lives would not ever be the same. I savored the moment and then, in silent agony, with tears streaming down my face, I hugged my husband and babies, and related what I had just seen. I called our oldest son and felt an almost if not definite primal urge to be among those people I loved most in the world. Together, in silence, my husband and I prayed for those whose loved ones couldn’t come home.

“God would make it so no one was hurting,” piped up our four year old. If only that were true I thought..

The night shift of nine eleven, no one really spoke of the events. No one had to. We all clung together and no one was floated that night. We did receive a labor patient but her tears were mostly due to sadness and not pain. What should have been a joyous occasion for her and her family would forever be equated with one of the saddest events known to America. She relayed that she desperately hoped she would deliver after midnight, but delivered just a bit before. She cradled her infant son and with tears of joy tempered with sadness, she said a prayer to the effect that she hoped we all someday could figure out a way to fix these horrible differences and stop the violence. Later, to me privately, she verbalized her fear of having to ever let go of her child. I hugged her and it didn’t have to be spoken that I felt the same. For both of us, our children, our families and the world, we said a not so silent prayer. That night I think we all cried for the innocence this new baby and all our children had already lost.

On the way home early that morning, I was surprised but not at all shocked by the Patriotism unfolding around me. It got to the point that stores ran out of flags, and red, white and blue ribbon. We were nicer to each other. Surrounded with crisp new flags on cars, houses and hanging from overpasses, I felt that heartfelt swelling of pride reserved usually, for special occasions and hoped beyond hope that it would continue long after the initial sting had passed. I, like all I saw that day and for quite some time afterwards was and will be forever proud to be an American.

Now those same flags are in shreds. They are tattered, worn and barely hanging from the spots they adorn. It pains me to admit, although briefly, I did consider them to be an embarrassment due to their wary, dilapidated condition. I wondered how others must feel at their wary sight.

Then, it occurred to me that is the very thing which makes them special. Real reminders that however horrific the circumstance and despite however long it takes, we Americans may be the worse for wear, but we will forever be present and vigilant, not unlike our resilient, beautiful, faded but glorious American Flag. Like them, whose shreds whip around in wicked wind and all the elements time and circumstance can muster, we will persevere and eventually prevail. We always have and will forever continue to do so. We will NOT give in.

These days when I pass beneath aged flags I once imagined should be removed and even replaced, I catch myself and think back to that awful dark day when cowardly terrorists elected to harm innocent people for no good reason, separating not only Americans but innocent people from around the world like so much discarded unimportant garbage…Misguided cowards who take everything yet give nothing to the world. Deviants who claim to speak for Allah much as uninformed people would dare to speak for God.

My heart hurts to think of the needless suffering, and conversely, swells with pride at the actions of so many people, Americans by birth, by choice, or both. I am also touched by the people worldwide who grieved and continue to grieve along with us. Thankyou.

Each time I catch even a brief glimpse of one of those well worn flags, it brings me back to that day and honors each victim in my mind, heart and soul.

I thank God, Allah and every person’s personal concept of a higher power for those tattered flags because the message they convey is one of hope, resilience, recovery and someday, of a world more interested and invested in peace versus hate.

If all I can do is raise my children to respect themselves, each other, their families and friends, take pride in the privilege of being Americans, and continue to be open to the ideas, thoughts and customs of other cultures, then I will have done my personal part in promoting peace .

Now, each time I see a worn, world weary flag sputtering in the wind, I see a remnant of hope, and hope, like a tattered flag, is something that no one can ever take away.

Written by: Martha J. Crowninshield O’Brien 01/24/03
A Soldiers Blog

2004-11-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Iraq War News
Allawi Relatives Kidnapped: "A cousin and at least one other relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi have been kidnapped in Baghdad and may be threatened with beheading. In Fallujah, the battle continues; so far the dead includes ten GIs, two Iraqi soldiers, and 71 rebels."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

U.S. Forces Hold 70 Percent of Fallujah: "

American forces battled through boobytrapped lanes and alleys Wednesday in a stunningly swift advance, taking control of 70 percent of Fallujah and bottling up enemy fighters along a strip of territory flanking the main east-west highway that bisects the rebel bastion.
The military said at least 71 militants had been killed as of the beginning of the third day of intense urban combat, with the casualty figure expected to rise sharply once U.S. forces account for insurgents killed in airstrikes.

BLACKFIVE: You Can Help

2004-11-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

You Can Help
[Please read the entire post as more options are developing to help Sergeant Bozik]

Sergeant Joseph Bozik, an Airborne Soldier with the 118th MP Company (Airborne) from Ft. Bragg, was recently wounded. He has lost both legs and an arm from a landmine, is not not conscious and has many medical complications. On Monday, Sergeant Bozik will be flown into Walter Reed from Landstuhl (Germany).

Unfortunately, the family doesn't have enough money to maintain themselves in a hotel (let alone buy food) for an extended period. The Army paid for airfare for 2 family members and Soldiers' Angels paid for airfare for 2 two more. The Angels can cover hotel expenses for only three days. Fisher House is full so they have to stay at a hotel.

We need your help. You can donate directly to a fund set up to assist the family with caring for Joe. You can send donations to the address or call the phone number below.

SGT Bozik Fund
c/o Centura Bank
ATTN Aiko Raynor
14615 US HWY 17 PO BOX 74
HAMPSTEAD NC 28443

910 772 8930
BLACKFIVE: You Can Help

THE MESOPOTAMIAN

2004-11-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

LISTEN AMERICA

I have been listening to the report about the WMDâ€™s by Mr. David Kay. Now, all of you in the West must know that as far as we, the Iraqis, are concerned, we care very little that stocks of WMDâ€™s existed or not at the time of liberation. For us Saddam and his regime were in themselves, the most lethal WMD that cost our people hundreds of thousands of victims not to mention the destruction of the economy and the very fabric of society in our afflicted country. That regime was a dead end for our people and with its continuation there was no hope whatsoever for the future. Mr. David Kay did mention something about this, and he should know, since he spent so much time in Iraq and has intimate knowledge of the situation. Saddamism is a cancer that we have yet to recover from. Western intervention lead by the U.S.A. was a God send to us, despite all the pain and misery that accompanied the operation and the repercussions that continue to rock the process of recuperation and rebirth of the nation. The U.S. soldiers are bravely standing in the thick of the turmoil and contributing with their blood and sweat not to mention the treasure of their land, towards curing us from the remaining ulcers of the disease after having performed the main surgery which no one else even dared even to think of.

Perhaps, the interests of our people were not the main consideration that led to that action; nevertheless, that does not change anything about the importance and implications for the people of Iraq of this tremendous historical act. Yes there is pain, chaos and loss; yet on the other hand, there is possibility of hope, and a clearly discernible â€œlight at the end of tunnelâ€?, to use this worn out phrase.

Were we better off during Saddamâ€™s time? - A question to which many outsiders are very keen to know our answer. Well, in many respects the streets are much more insecure, yet the security that existed in Saddamâ€™s days was like someone quietly waiting for certain death; like a cancer stricken individual carrying the disease in his guts with no hope or attempt at cure. Yes, the pain and torture may be much more terrible when the surgeon has operated and the disease is tackled; but at least there is hope of recovery and healing, and the prospect of life saving. And this is not allegory, nor a parable; this is coming from someone whose house has been standing in the midst of bombs and explosions for so long now, protected by none but the mercy and grace of the Lord; from someone who has suffered robbery, kidnapping and constant daily danger.

And here we are, trying to organize elections, trying to control the security situation, trying to restart the reconstruction, able to talk, able to think, able to watch satellite T.V., use the internet, the mobile etc. â€“ in short everything that we have been forbidden to do before. And without the slightest hesitation, we hail with Love and Gratitude our giant U.S. friend and his allies, standing with us shoulder to shoulder, braving the elements, braving death, calumny and hatred, shedding blood; to help us heal, to help us reach the shores of safety. And make no mistake, the campaign is winning and will achieve its objectives. Make no mistake; you have already created an allied nation in the very heart of the M.E. despite all appearances, which will produce all the long term benefits and consequences so many times reiterated by President Bush, to the ridicule and insults of the profoundly mistaken, of the profoundly hating.

America, stay the course - God, Decency, Honor, Hope and everything that is virtuous and right is on your side, beside the majority of the Iraqi people. America do not waiver, for you have never waged a more noble and just campaign in your entire history. America, we are winning, Godâ€™s willing, and Victory is coming sooner than many might think.

Salaam
AlaaTHE MESOPOTAMIAN

American kidnapped from Iraq office

2004-11-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

American kidnapped from Iraq office Nov 1 2004

An American and three other foreigners were kidnapped from their Baghdad office after "an exchange of fire," the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

One American, an Asian and two non-Iraqi Arabs were seized in the operation, which took place in Mansour - the Baghdad district where beheaded Briton Ken Bigley was abducted in September.

Colonel Adnan Abdul-Rahman said first reports indicated shots were fired but he didn't know by whom.

He said the victims were believed to be working for a Saudi company, but he had no further details.

ic Coventry - American kidnapped from Iraq office

- THE SOLDIER PAGE - Soldiers' Angels

2004-11-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

- THE SOLDIER PAGE - Soldiers' Angels
Thank you Norma Wright
Hello, my name is Norma E. Wright and I am a Christian Poet located in Jacksonville, Florida. God has blessed me with the gift of poetry, and it is my desire to use this gift to spread the gospel of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, thus accomplishing the "Great Commission" in the New Testament.

Originally from Augusta, Georgia (Home of the Masters Golf Tournament), I have, for quite a few years, been employed in the travel industry. For several years, I operated "The Wright Travel Group" as a tour business owner. I planned and escorted tours for Christian, political and middle-school groups. In addition, I put together tour packages for church groups to attend the Bill Gaither concerts. I've experienced a lot of fun and met many wonderful people; however, due to the instability within the travel industry, God is leading me down a different path.
The Freedom Page

US Marines of the 1st Division train in an abandoned primary school

2004-11-01T07:19:00.000-08:00

US Marines of the 1st Division train in an abandoned primary school outside Fallujah, Iraq , Monday, Nov. 1, 2004. American forces are preparing for a major assault on Fallujah in an effort to restore control to a swath of Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital ahead of crucial national elections due by Jan. 31. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

US Marines of the 1st Division clean their guns

2004-11-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

US Marines of the 1st Division clean their guns prior to a mission outside Fallujah, Iraq , Monday, Nov. 1, 2004. American forces are preparing for a major assault on Fallujah in an effort to restore control to a swath of Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital ahead of crucial national elections due by Jan. 31. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

2004-11-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Heavy Clashes in Ramadi as U.S. Troop Buildup Begins: "U.S. forces battled rebels in Ramadiand shelled Falluja on Monday, but there was no sign that anall-out American-led offensive to retake the insurgent-heldcities had begun on the eve of the U.S. presidential election. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Iraq armed group takes Polish woman hostage: TV: "Arabic television station Al-Jazeera broadcast a video in which an armed group in Iraq said it had kidnapped a Polish woman. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Fresh American Troops Arrive in Iraq: "U.S. troops clashed with Sunni insurgents west of the capital Monday, and gunmen assassinated Baghdad's deputy governor as fresh American soldiers arrived in the capital â?? reinforcements that will push U.S. military strength in Iraq to its highest level since the summer of 2003. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Iraqi president opposes Fallujah assault, accuses Iran: "Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar accused Iran of orchestrating attacks in his country and declared his opposition to a threatened assault on the rebel hotbed of Fallujah. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Suicide bomber strikes market in Tel Aviv: "A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded outdoor market in central Tel Aviv on Monday, killing at least three bystanders and wounding 32, medics and police said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Not Much Choice in Plans for Iraq (Los Angeles Times): "Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON â?? No single campaign issue has defined the presidential candidates' differences more clearly than the war in Iraq. Yet it seems that whoever wins Tuesday's election will steer a remarkably similar course in the troubled country."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

US Troops Fight Rebels in Iraq's Ramadi, Three Dead (Reuters): "Reuters - Three people were killed on Monday in some of the fiercest fighting in weeks between U.S. troops and insurgents in the rebel stronghold of Ramadi, witnesses and hospital officials said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Iraq rebuilding efforts slowed in IraqWar.info

Baghdad Deputy Governor assassinated in IraqWar.info

Iraqi freelance cameraman reported killed: "An Iraqi freelance television cameraman was killed Monday while filming clashes between U.S. troops and insurgents in a city west of Baghdad, police and hospital officials said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

U-S embassies issue terror threat warning in northern Europe in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Reaching Out at Fallujah Outpost (washingtonpost.com): "washingtonpost.com - NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq, Oct. 31 -- The road, sticky with mud from an overnight downpour, passed through a narrow alley of blast walls and into a heavily guarded U.S. military compound. Inside, a battle-worn Marine staff sergeant pruned the miniature roses that ringed a small grassy courtyard, where a fountain burbled in the middle."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

US warplanes pound Fallujah as Iraqi PM issues ultimatum: "US war planes bombed insurgent targets in the rebel-held Iraqi city of Fallujah, a US military spokesman said, as the country braced for an all-out assault. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

BLACKFIVE

2004-10-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

You Can Help
Sergeant Joseph Bozik, an Airborne Soldier with the 118th MP Company (Airborne) from Ft. Bragg, was recently wounded. He has lost both legs and an arm from a landmine, is not not conscious and has many medical complications. On Monday, Sergeant Bozik will be flown into Walter Reed from Landstuhl (Germany).

Unfortunately, the family doesn't have enough money to maintain themselves in a hotel (let alone buy food) for an extended period. The Army paid for airfare for 2 family members and Soldiers' Angels paid for airfare for 2 two more. The Angels can cover hotel expenses for only three days. Fisher House is full so they have to stay at a hotel.

We need your help. You can donate directly to a fund set up to assist the family with caring for Joe. You can send donations to the address or call the phone number below.

SGT Bozik Fund
c/o Centura Bank
ATTN Aiko Raynor
14615 US HWY 17 PO BOX 74
HAMPSTEAD NC 28443

910 772 8930

Update 10-31-04: Kelly the Patriette is connected to this story and has an article link about Sergeant Bozik. Be sure to read the link.

“He felt like he was doing the right thing,” she said. “If that meant risking his life to save millions more, he was going to do it.”
Thanks to Kelly, Fred and Michelle for linking to this call for help.

BLACKFIVE

A Time To Pray..Godspeed Heroes

2004-10-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

A US Marine of the 1st Division gestures during a patrol outside Fallujah, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004. American forces are preparing for a major assault on Fallujah in an effort to restore control to a swathe of Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital ahead of crucial national elections due by Jan. 31. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

I chose a prayer from Psalms that I have recited to all of my soldiers, and I pray for their safety in the event things don't turn out as well as I hope. I have put it on the bottom of the page so you can read it. This will test all my abilities as a person and as a leader, I know I am ready. This will not be like the everyday combat that goes on here, the rules of engagement are clear, anyone left in the city is a terrorist.
From a hero approaching Falluja

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He follows me through the green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your comfort and love, they protect me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Iraq's Patience Running Out in Fallujah

2004-10-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

Iraq's Patience Running Out in Fallujah

By SAMEER N. YACOUB
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interim prime minister said Sunday that efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict in Fallujah have entered their final phase and warned that "our patience is running thin," vowing to clear the city of militants who have carried out some of the bloodiest attacks in Iraq.

Ayad Allawi's strong comments signaled that the start may be near for a major assault on Fallujah that U.S. forces have been preparing. Allawi warned there would likely be civilian casualties if an offensive takes place.

U.S. commanders say Allawi will give the final order to launch the assault, which would aim to restore control to Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital ahead of Jan 31 elections.

Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Allawi vowed that the elections, a key step in plans to move Iraq toward democracy "will take place on schedule." The country's deteriorating security situation has led to doubts that nationwide voting can take place in Iraq.

Allawi said there was no deadline for talks with Fallujah leaders aimed at finding a peaceful resolution. But he said if no deal is reached, "I have no choice but to secure a military solution."

"I will do so with a heavy heart, for even with the most careful plan there will be some loss of innocent lives," he said. "But I owe, owe it to the Iraqi people to defend them from the violence and the terrorists and insurgents."

"The terrorists and insurgents continue to use Fallujah and the Fallujah people as a shield for their murderous acts," Allawi said. "Some of the most incredible crimes have been committed in Fallujah and out of Fallujah by these terrorists."

Fallujah, west of Baghdad, is considered the strongest bastion of Sunni insurgents who have carried out a spiraling campaign of bombings, ambushes and kidnappings. Allawi's warning came after a particularly bloody day even by the standards of this conflict-ravaged country.

In all, at least 30 people died Saturday in politically motivated violence across Iraq _ stark evidence of a security situation threatening to spiral out of control.

Among them were eight Marines killed by a car bomb near Fallujah. The U.S. military earlier said a ninth Marine was also killed but later corrected the report, confirming the death toll of eight.

Also, early Sunday, the Japanese government confirmed that the decapitated body of a young Asian male _ found wrapped in an American flag and dumped in an insurgent-infested neighborhood of Baghdad _ was that of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, 24, said Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

Koda's abduction was claimed by the al-Qaida in Iraq group, led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who Iraqi and U.S. leaders claim is in Fallujah. Allawi has demanded Fallujah's city leaders hand over al-Zarqawi to avoid an attack, thought the leaders deny he is there.

Allawi said he had met with tribal leaders from the area Saturday and told them "the window for such peaceful settlement is closing."

"I explained that I hoped that the peaceful citizens of the areas where the terrorists are based will help the government to arrest them," he said. "They assured me that they would work with my government to achieve this."

Allawi also said authorities have arrested 167 Arab foreign fighters, who are in Iraq's custody.

U.S. commanders have estimated that up to 5,000 Islamic militants, Saddam Hussein loyalists and common criminals are holed up in the insurgent bastion.

U.S. Marines carried out a three-week siege of Fallujah in April, but when hundreds of people were killed, the military was forced to back down. Insurgents have since tightened their grip on the city, and several other cities in the Sunni Triangle north and west of Baghdad have fallen under their sway.

For the second straight day, clashes erupted Sunday between U.S. forces and insurgents in the town of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, leaving seven people dead, according to hospital officials. The fighting broke out in the eastern and central part of the city. Sporadic gunfire could be heard near City Hall. Shops and schools in the area have been closed for days due to the deteriorating security situation, residents said.

On Saturday, U.S. forces pounded insurgent positions on the outskirts of Fallujah in some of the heaviest skirmishes in weeks. Marines and guerrillas traded mortar and artillery fire, and U.S. jets bombed positions inside the city.

The Marine deaths came when a car bomb went off next to a truck southwest of Baghdad, between the capital and Fallujah, said Maj. Clark Watson of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. It was the biggest number of American military deaths in a single day since May 2, when nine U.S. troops were killed in separate mortar attacks and roadside bombings in Baghdad, Ramadi and Kirkuk.

.: Corvallis Gazette-Times :. AP World News

2004-10-31T05:45:00.000-08:00

Body identified as Japanese man: "Japan's government confirms a headless body found in Iraq is that of backpacker Shosei Koda."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)

Some 3,000 'gunmen' arested in Iraq in recent days: Iraqi PM: "Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said some 3,000 gunmen have been detained in Iraq in recent days who had been working for a deputy of ousted president Saddam Hussein. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Iraq Detains 167 Militants, 3,000 Baathists-Allawi: "Iraqi interim Prime Minister IyadAllawi said on Sunday authorities had arrested 167 suspectedIslamist militants in the past few weeks, most of themnon-Iraqi Arabs. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Iraq PM: Fallujah Diplomacy in Final Phase: "Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Sunday that Iraq is entering the "final phase" of efforts to resolve the Fallujah situation peacefully, but warned that "our patience is running thin." (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

The winner is... US conservatism (31 Oct 04) in Radio Free USA

It's the war, stupid (31 Oct 04) in Radio Free USA

Officials say bin Laden tape contains no specific threat in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Video shows three foreign election workers kidnapped in Afghanistan in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Afghan Kidnap Video URGENT in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

A US marine (L) and a US Army soldier man their position on the rooftop of a hotel in Ramadi, 100 kms west of Baghdad.

2004-10-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

A US marine (L) and a US Army soldier man their position on the rooftop of a hotel in Ramadi, 100 kms west of Baghdad. Eight US marines were killed conducting security operations in the Iraqi province that is home to rebel strongholds.(AFP/Patrick Baz) Yahoo! News - Top Stories World Photos - AFP

Yahoo! News - World Photos - AFP

2004-10-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

US Army soldiers and a marine (C) treat an injured comrade shot by a sniper in Ramadi. Eight US marines were killed conducting security operations in an Iraqi province that is home to rebel strongholds.(AFP/Patrick Baz) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AFP

Reuters | Latest Financial News MARINES CONTINUED COVERAGE

2004-10-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

The U.S. military said the marines were killed in the restive western province of Anbar, which includes Falluja and Ramadi, but gave no details. Nine marines were also wounded.

Witnesses said earlier they had seen three U.S. vehicles burning on a road east of Falluja, in the same province. It was not clear if that was where the marine casualties occurred.

The deaths bring to 858 the number of U.S. troops killed in combat. The total number of U.S. troop deaths, including accidents and other causes, is now almost 1,120.

The decapitated body of an Asian man shown in a video shot in Baghdad appears to be that of missing Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda, Reuters witnesses who viewed the video said.

The video showed the severed head of a Japanese-looking man which resembled photographs of Koda. Iraq's Interior Ministry said it could be that of the kidnapped Japanese.

U.S. marine commanders said on Friday they were preparing for a major assault on Falluja and Ramadi.

The aim is to crush guerrillas and root out militants led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to enable Iraq's interim government to hold national elections in January.

At least a dozen air strikes hit south-eastern Falluja, witnesses said. U.S. marine spokesman Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert said marines on the edge of Falluja had come under mortar fire from insurgents and called in artillery support.

He said it was the "most consistent and drawn out artillery barrage in recent days", but was not the start of the offensive.

VOLATILE MIX

Marine commanders say they face a volatile mix of up to 2,000 Iraqi and foreign fighters entrenched in the city. Some are thought to be former army officers loyal to Saddam Hussein, others Islamist militants led by Zarqawi, a Jordanian.

Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi met a group of Sunni clerics in a last-ditch appeal for a peaceful solution. The clerics, too frightened to be named publicly, said they would respond in "a few" days, a statement from Allawi's office said.

Zarqawi, America's top enemy in Iraq and with a $25 million (13.6 million pound) price on his head, has claimed some of the bloodiest violence in the country and the beheadings of foreign hostages.

In Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said 19 people were also wounded in the blast outside the Al Arabiya office in an up-market neighbourhood. Television footage showed doctors stitching the bloodied face of one woman.

The majority Saudi-owned satellite channel has often been attacked on Web sites used by Islamist militant groups for its perceived pro-Western stance in the Arab world. A recent posting purportedly by Zarqawi's group also threatened Al Arabiya.

A little-known Iraqi group said it carried out the attack.

"Thank God, the building of the Arabic-speaking Americanised spy journalists was destroyed," said the 1920 Battalions, in a statement on Web sites used by Iraqi militants.

Al Arabiya later said the group had denied it was responsible. It gave no details and the Web statement could not be independently authenticated.

The interim government and its U.S. backers are battling to restore peace to the country so Iraqis can elect a national assembly in January to draft a new constitution.

But some rebels fighting to drive out U.S.-led forces oppose the polls. The election commission has received death threats signed by militants using the old name of Zarqawi's group.

Typewritten letters in the name of the Tawhid wal Jihad (One God and Holy War) Assassinations Squad warned members of the commission would be killed, along with their families, if they stayed at their posts, spokesman Farid Ayar said.

Iraqi-Polish hostage Teresa Borcz Khalifa appealed to her government on a video aired on Saturday, saying her life depended on the withdrawal of Polish forces from Iraq as demanded by her Iraqi captors.

"I am asking for help ... from Poland and the Polish people and whoever can help me," Al Jazeera television quoted her as saying in the video which showed her sitting under the black banner the militant Islamic group, Abu Bakr al-Seddiq Salafist Brigades, that kidnapped her last week.

At least 25 foreigners from a dozen countries are thought to be in the hands of kidnappers trying to drive U.S.-led forces and foreign workers from Iraq. Scores of foreigners have been abducted since April. Many have been freed but more than 35 have been killed, several of them beheaded.
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage

Headless body of Asian-looking man found in Baghdad: ministry

2004-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The decapitated body of an Asian-looking man was found in Baghdad on Saturday, an official from the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

"A decapitated body was retrieved behind the al-Karma hospital, near to Haifa Street," said Adnan Abdul Rahman.

"The head, which was next to the body, had Asian characteristics," he said.

But he could not confirm that the body belonged to the Japanese man who was taken hostage by Iraqi militants.

On Tuesday, the Islamic militant group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said that it had kidnapped a Japanese citizen, identified as Shosei Koda, threatening to execute him if Tokyo did not withdraw troops from Iraq within 48 hours.

The Japanese government has refused the demand. Enditem
:: Xinhuanet - English ::

Soldiers' Angels

2004-10-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

When the telephone rang, Soldiers' Angels was quick to respond. A soldier was calling for help with a soldiers' mom. As we listened to the families needs, one by one we rushed into motion. There were Angels on the phone with the airlines, Angels on the phone to make lodging arrangements, Angels on the phone to other Angels, and an Angel on the phone with our wounded heroes mom.

As the mother cried on the phone we sat quietly to let her vent, as a mother asked why, we quietly comforted her. As she worried about what would happen next, we were their to offer a lending hand.

A mother's trust for the care of her child is not one so easily won, this mother turned to the Angels for help and we all banded together as one. A mother who's life seems like it is all spinning around her, found comfort from the phone calls from a perfect stranger. When the night came to pass this mother of a hero, called one of her new found Angels to say thank-you, your my hero.

Today, we received word about an injured soldier, today the Angels banded together to bring ease to his mother, and today the Angels learned one by one why we are here and why we do this. We are here for this soldiers' mother, we will be here until the end, we are our Soldiers' Angels and a mother's new friend.
Viktoria Carter
viktoriacartersa@aol.com

Soldiers' Angels

Columbia Basin Herald The Army has extended by two months the Iraq tours of about 6,500 soldiers,

2004-10-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The Army has extended by two months the Iraq tours of about 6,500 soldiers, citing a need for experienced troops through the Iraqi elections scheduled for late January.

No official statement was released, but the Pentagon's public affairs office posted an article on its Web site Saturday that said 3,500 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and 3,000 from the 1st Infantry Division headquarters will remain in Iraq at least two months longer than planned.

The Army had scheduled those units for 10-month deployments, rather than the usual 12-month tours, to stagger the rotation of forces in and out of Iraq this winter to avoid overburdening transportation systems. Instead they will remain to provide security through the elections.

The Pentagon article spoke of "the troops' frustration" over having their tours extended. It said some of the soldiers had been told they would be leaving Iraq as early as November. Instead they will stay through January.

Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, requested the extensions in late September, and his immediate superior, Army Gen. John Abizaid, made the decision Oct. 16, the Pentagon article said.

The decision appeared to mark the second time in recent weeks that soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, have had their Iraq deployments extended. On Oct. 4 the U.S. military command in Baghdad announced that rather than complete its redeployment to Fort Hood, Texas, in December, the brigade was to begin heading home in January. On Saturday the Pentagon said these soldiers will begin their return in mid-February, with the last ones due out by mid-March.

The 3,000 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division headquarters, based in Wurzburg, Germany, will remain in Iraq until mid-February or mid-March. They previously were scheduled to have been replaced in January, before the elections, by the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters of the New York National Guard.

The Pentagon public affairs article said officials had considered deploying the New York guardsmen to Kuwait before moving them into Iraq, but they decided against that "in light of the high threat level in Kuwait." It did not elaborate on the threat in Kuwait.

The 42nd Infantry will be the first division-level National Guard deployment into combat since World War II, reflecting the extraordinarily heavy reliance the Army is placing on the Guard to provide troops for the Iraq mission. More than 40 percent of the U.S. force in Iraq is Guard or Reserve.

On the Net:

Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil
Columbia Basin Herald

US Marine Heroes

2004-10-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

U.S. Marines

Yahoo! News - 8 U.S. Marines Killed, 9 Wounded in Iraq

2004-10-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

8 U.S. Marines Killed, 9 Wounded in Iraq

Middle East - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eight U.S. Marines were killed and nine others wounded in action Saturday in Anbar province west of Baghdad, the U.S. military announced.

The statement gave no details of how they were killed or injured and did not say where the engagement took place, citing security. They were assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

Anbar province includes Fallujah, where the U.S. military is gearing up for a major offensive, as well as Ramadi and Qaim along the Syrian border.

Yahoo! News - 8 U.S. Marines Killed, 9 Wounded in Iraq

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment rush to defensive positions during a close-range insurgent mortar attack on their base, Combat Outpost, in Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004. There were no U.S. casualties. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan)

2004-10-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Soldier killed in Iraq convoy crash: "The bulk of an 850-strong group of British troops are gathering near their new base in a US-controlled area of Iraq."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Bin Laden video admits 9/11 attack: "Days before the US presidential election, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera has aired a video of Osama bin Laden, directly admitting for the first time that he carried out the September 11 attacks and criticising President George W. Bush."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

US won't be intimidated, says Bush: "President George Bush said that Americans would not be "intimidated or influenced" by terrorists after Osama bin Laden released a video tape just days before the country goes to the polls."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

U.S. forces hold tribal leader in Baghdad: "U.S. forces detained a key Iraqi tribal leader and two family members during an early morning raid Saturday in Baghdad, his family said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Palestinian leaders meets without Arafat: "The Palestinian leadership convened Saturday without Yasser Arafat in the chair for the first time in years, while doctors in a French hospital conducted a battery of blood tests to see whether the veteran leader's illness is terminal."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Iraq's interim president visits Kuwait: "Iraq's interim president on Saturday visited this small oil-rich state that Saddam Hussein invaded in 1990 and occupied for seven months until U.S.-led forces evicted his army, the first visit by an Iraqi head of state here in about four decades."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Bin Laden tape called "propaganda"...Kerry, Bush attack on war on terror in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Taliban-linked group threatens to kill kidnapped UN election workers in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Al-Jazeera says it received Osama bin Laden tape in Pakistani capital in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Strikes in Fallujah, Iraqi troops fire on vehicles in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Crunch talks on Fallujah crisis, mystery surrounds Japanese hostage (AFP): "AFP - Crunch talks to avert a military assault on rebel-held Fallujah rumbled, as British troops started to patrol a hostile region outside Baghdad and confusion reigned over the fate of a Japanese hostage."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

News Video Is at Center of Storm Over Iraq Explosives (Los Angeles Times): "Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON â?? On April 18, 2003, a television news crew from Minnesota videotaped U.S. troops in Iraq using bolt cutters to break through chains and wire seals on the door of a dusty bunker and finding explosives stored inside."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

SEAL takes stand in prisoner abuse hearing: "A Navy SEAL admitted yesterday that he held a loaded gun to an Iraqi prisoner's head and posed for a picture, and he also testified that a fellow SEAL beat the hooded prisoner with the muzzle of a gun."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq

U.N. envoy: Probe into Iraqi fraud very tough: "The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Danforth, said yesterday that investigators face tremendous obstacles in trying to get to the bottom of alleged corruption in Iraq's oil-for-food program."

In San Diego Union-Tribune: In Iraq

U.S. forces launch airstrikes in Fallujah: "NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces launched airstrikes against suspected militant bases in Fallujah and carried out probing attacks on the city's outskirts, as they prepared for a major operation in the insurgent bastion that has become the symbol of Iraqi resistance."

In Modesto Bee: Iraq

Iraqi forces fire on six vehicles: "Iraqi forces opened fire Saturday on six vehicles, including three minibuses, after a U.S. convoy came under attack in central Iraq, killing or injuring more than a dozen people, witnesses said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Arafat may be suffering from leukemia: "Physicians specializing in the treatment of leukemia were examining ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday to determine whether he suffers from the blood disorder, Palestinian sources said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Al-Jazeera: Got bin Laden tape in Pakistan: "The Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera said Saturday that it received the latest videotaped message from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at its offices in the Pakistani capital."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Yahoo! News - Bin Laden: U.S. Can Avoid Another Attack

2004-10-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

Bin Laden: U.S. Can Avoid Another Attack

36 minutes ago Top Stories - AP

By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden, publicly injecting himself into the campaign four days ahead of presidential elections, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims.

In the portion of the tape that was broadcast, the al-Qaida leader refrained from directly warning of new attacks, although he said "there are still reasons to repeat what happened."

"Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands," bin Laden said, referring to the president and his Democratic opponent. "Any state that does not mess with our security, has naturally guaranteed its own security."

Yahoo! News - Bin Laden: U.S. Can Avoid Another Attack

I think he should worry about his own security!

Students help our nation's soldiers

2004-10-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Eight-graders at Mount Airy Middle School are already entrenched in the holiday spirit, way before the season of giving has even rounded the corner.

With the help of Family Consumer Science teacher Louise Lance, several classes are helping with Soldiers' Angels, a nonprofit that provides aid and comfort to our military and their families.

Boys and girls alike are sewing holiday stockings and stuffing them with goodies, anything from trial-size toothpaste to Gatorade to socks to beef jerky and other snacks -- anything soldiers might need as they serve our country.

A display set up in the front lobby shows off trial-size toothpaste and bug repellant lotion, among other gifts for the soldiers to illustrate the types of things the eighth-graders want to fill the stockings with.

Another hot item for the stockings are calling cards.

The classes are participating in Operation Holiday Spirit, part of the Soldiers' Angels organization, which sends holiday gifts and spirit to the soldiers stationed overseas.

Jean Keltner of Sykesville, the organization's manager for Maryland, said Mount Airy Middle School is the only school in Maryland so far that is helping out specifically under Soldiers' Angels.

She calls Mount Airy Middle's efforts "Mount Airy Stockings for Soldiers." Meanwhile, all over the nation, schools are teaming up to send holiday cards, wishes, gifts and spirit. "It's hard to be away from your family for the holidays," Keltner said, adding that this is just one way the community is helping support soldiers.

She's lined up to speak at some classes in Eldersburg, and hopes that as time goes on, more schools will learn about the organization.

Keltner started out just looking for a way to help our soldiers back in February and found the Soldiers' Angels Web site.

The organization has between 10,000 and 15,000 angels across the nation, from Alaska to Hawaii and everywhere in between, working to support soldiers. "It's amazing to read the stuff to support our troops," Keltner said. "It's very addicting, in a positive way."

Lance agreed. She said she hopes to continue the project next year, and hopes to get the stockings sent out by next week.

Mixed in with a variety of hand-sewn socks are colorful holiday cards (and not just in Christmas colors), decorated with markers and warm holiday wishes. Cards include handwritten notes, often lengthy, that thank the soldiers and bring news from home. One card thanked a soldier for his or her service and cheered on the Boston Red Sox, in the World Series for the first time in almost two decades. Another just thanked soldiers for all they are doing and wished them happy holidays.

The cards will accompany the red-and-white stockings stocked with goodies and treats.

By the end of this week, Lance hopes to have 197 stockings stuffed, placed in priority mail boxes (to get to their destinations quicker) and ready to be mailed to their adopted unit, 1st Battalion, 7th Artillery of the Army.

Lance said she got involved when her oldest daughter's boyfriend was fighting the war in Afghanistan. She sent boxes two soldiers about two or so years ago and enjoyed contributing. "You feel helpless. ... Everyone wants to help in some way," Lance said.

And the extra support can be so meaningful to many of the soldiers. Lance told of a soldier given two weeks to live recently, after being wounded in the war and discovering he had spinal cancer. When Soldiers' Angels found out, the organization sent flowers and balloons and other trinkets to wish the soldier well. The soldier had been in foster care all his life and had no real family, so Soldiers' Angels stepped up to the task, following the organization's motto "may no soldier go unloved." He's now living well beyond his original two weeks' notice.

Lance said the eighth-graders' efforts are part of the Angel Club, which is comprised of Mount Airy Middle students who want to raise money and awareness and volunteer time and effort for causes like Soldiers' Angels, or Project Linus, a national organization that provides blankets to ill children.

The club has also worked in the community, helping other families make ends meet: a local boy with cancer, and a large family, who's father had been diagnosed with cancer, are among two who received profits from fundraising.

The club also has a holiday shop, and money goes back into the community, and the club makes polar fleece hats and scarves, sells them inexpensively so anyone can purchase the gifts for themselves or for friends and family, Lance said.

She hopes to have all the stockings sewn and stuffed by this Friday; she has four sewing machines ready for the students to use.

She said she'll hold the stockings to be mailed until no later than Friday, November 5; she'd like to get the stockings out as soon as possible so the soldiers can begin using them.

Principal Virginia G. Savell said she was appreciates the work Lance is doing. "She could accomplish the curriculum goals without [the projects,]" Savell said.

"Kids ... caring for others, it's a really terrific thing," Savell said of Lance's projects. And it's more meaningful when the kids work on projects that can affect others in positive ways, she added.

For information about Soldiers' Angels, visit the Web site at www.soldiersangels.com. To donate supplies for the stockings, drop them by the front office at Mount Airy Middle School.

Students help our nation's soldiers

Brian Lewis/The Gazette
Eighth-grader Hannah Ehlman sews a stocking as part of a holiday project for soldiers in Iraq.

Soldiers' Angels Wounded Family needs us

2004-10-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

This family is headed to Walter Reed to meet their son who is seriously wounded. They need help with hotel and food expenses.
Please help

Sgt Bazik Fund
c/o Centura Bank
14615 US HWY 17 PO BOX 74
HAMPSTEAD NC 28443
ATTN aiko raynor
910 772 8930

Soldiers' Angels

OSAMA BIN LADEN tape to play..

2004-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Jazeera TV Says to Air Bin Laden Video Tape

Friday, October 29, 2004 3:09 p.m. ET

DUBAI (Reuters) - Arab satellite television Al Jazeera said on Friday it would broadcast a video tape from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden addressing the American people.

It said the tape, to be aired at 4 p.m. EDT, would discuss the reasons behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and their repercussions. It gave no further details.
Google Search: OSAMA BIN LADEN

U.S. Barred From Forcing Troops to Get Anthrax Shots (washingtonpost.com)

2004-10-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

U.S. Barred From Forcing Troops to Get Anthrax Shots

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 28, 2004; Page A01

The Defense Department must immediately stop inoculating troops with anthrax vaccine, a federal judge ruled yesterday, saying that the Food and Drug Administration acted improperly when it approved the experimental injections for general use.

Concluding that the FDA violated its own rules by approving the vaccine late last year, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said the mandatory vaccination program -- which has inoculated more than 1.2 million troops since 1998 -- is "illegal."

Sullivan said that his ban on involuntary vaccination will remain in place until the FDA reviews the anthrax vaccine properly or until President Bush determines that the normal process must be waived because of emergency circumstances.

The Defense Department has required many troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan to be vaccinated, and it has punished and sometimes court-martialed those who refused. The Pentagon expanded its anthrax and smallpox vaccination programs in July to include troops stationed in South Korea and other areas in Asia and Africa, despite complaints from some service members that the anthrax vaccine made them sick.

In a statement, the Defense Department said it is reviewing the decision and will "pause giving anthrax vaccinations until the legal situation is clarified. . . . DoD remains convinced that the anthrax immunization program complies with all the legal requirements and that the anthrax vaccine is safe and effective."

In his ruling, Sullivan said that the FDA's approval was invalid because it did not meet the required review standards and the agency failed to seek the necessary public comment.

"Congress has prohibited the administration of investigational drugs to service members without their consent," Sullivan said. "This Court will not permit the government to circumvent this requirement."

"The men and women of our armed forces deserve the assurance that the vaccines our government compels them to take into their bodies have been tested by the greatest scrutiny of all -- public scrutiny. This is the process the FDA in its expert judgment has outlined, and this is the course this court shall compel FDA to follow," Sullivan wrote.

The judge ruled on a suit filed in March 2003 by six service members and civilians who argued that the FDA never properly reviewed the vaccine's ability to protect against inhalation anthrax. The suit contended that the drug was never shown to be effective, and that some vaccinated troops experienced extreme fatigue, joint pain and temporary memory loss after being vaccinated. The vaccine, made by BioPort Corp. of Lansing, Mich., is given in a series of shots.

Mark Zaid, an attorney for the six who has also defended more than a dozen service members court-martialed for refusing the vaccination, said one of his clients is a breast-feeding mother who does not think the vaccine is safe for her child.

"We will now initiate an effort to ensure the government reverses all punishments that were imposed for refusing an order to take the vaccine," Zaid said. He said he will also seek compensation for service members who contend they were harmed. "As we've seen in Iraq, there wasn't any actual threat from anthrax, so there was never any real need for the vaccine," Zaid said.

U.S. Barred From Forcing Troops to Get Anthrax Shots (washingtonpost.com)

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

2004-10-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment return fire on enemy positions after insurgents launched an attack with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades in Ramadi, Iraq (news - web sites), Friday Oct. 29, 2004. Sporadic fighting could be heard across central Ramadi through much of the morning. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan)
Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

U.S. Marine Cpl. Jose Vazquez, Jr. of Los Angeles, CA

2004-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

U.S. Marine Cpl. Jose Vazquez, Jr. of Los Angeles, CA, from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment looks back during a battle with insurgents who launched an attack with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades in Ramadi, Iraq ,Friday Oct. 29, 2004. Sporadic fighting could be heard across central Ramadi through much of the morning. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan)
Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

CBS News | U.S. Military Families In Need | October 19, 2004?20:28:29

2004-10-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

(CBS) At a recent march for military families, it seems everybody in Lacey, Wash. turned out to support the troops at nearby Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, both morally and financially.

John McClatchey, who donated $20, says, "It's not much, but I know every little bit counts."

As CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports, they raised $15,000 for military families in need.

"They're out there in Iraq and money is tight for those families," says Gary Benton.

At the Miramar Marine Air Station near San Diego where the movie "Top Gun" was filmed, some families are hitting rock bottom.

"It's not payday yet and I've got three kids at home," says Gloria Mendez. "(It's) time to feed them and the Navy doesn't pay enough for what we have to live here in San Diego."

So, some 500 military families come to the Food Locker on base every month for free groceries, donated by stores, the military and the Boy Scouts.

"Without us a lot of these families wouldn't make it," says Rita Riddick, co-chairman of the Food Locker.

The families agree they need the help.

"Yeah, actually we do," says Christina Roberts, a military wife. "That's the sad part about it.

You hear the same thing from families in every branch of the military, because enlisted men and women can earn as little as $1,104.00 a month.

And with the National Guard serving longer tours, their families are going longer without civilian salaries. Even with housing and medical benefits many military families, especially in expensive cities, are losing the battle to make ends meet.

"We're considered below the poverty line," says Mendez. "Poverty's here, we're below it."

Still most are good soldiers, as proud to serve as their spouses. Shalmarie Ryan's husband is in Iraq.

"No, we're not going to complain about it," she says. "It's our life, that's what we married."

But at the Food Locker, volunteers see more and more service families struggling in silence.

"We have young men and women laying down their lives day after day," says Riddick. "They're not making enough. It's not fair. It's not right."

Many sacrifice in time of war, some more than others.

CBS News | U.S. Military Families In Need | October 19, 2004?20:28:29

2004-10-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
Polish Little Old Lady Kidnapped: "

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

A hitherto unknown militant group says it has kidnapped a Polish woman in Iraq and is demanding that Poland withdraw its forces, Al Jazeera television reports.
Polandâ??s Defence Minister, Jerzy Szmajdzinski, says he could not verify the kidnap but no Polish soldiers are missing.

However, he says Poland will not bow to the demands of hostage-takers.

â??Poland is not in the business of meeting demands of hostage takers,â?? Mr Szmajdzinski told private Polish television news channel TVN24.

Al Jazeera has aired a video of an elderly-looking woman, who was not named, seated between two masked men.

One of the men was pointing a gun to her head.

A black banner carried the name of the group - Abi Baqr al-Siddiq al-Salafiya (Salafist) Brigades.

â??They said she worked for the US forces and would be released if Polish troops pull out of Iraq and if women prisoners in Iraq are freed,â?? the satellite news network said.

()"

In Command Post: Irak

U.S. Forces Prepare to Attack Falluja and Ramadi: "U.S. marines prepared onFriday to mount a "decisive" assault on the Iraqi cities ofFalluja and Ramadi to crush Sunni Muslim insurgents and Arabmilitants. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Challenges mount for new Iraqi troops: "Squinting into the noon sun, Col. Bob Newman nods across the road toward a lot where dozens of Iraqi commandos gather around a martial-arts instructor. The instructor grabs a volunteer's arm and flips him onto the ground amid a cloud of dust and grunts. (USATODAY.com)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

News Video Is at Center of Storm Over Iraq Explosives: "WASHINGTON â?? On April 18, 2003, a television news crew from Minnesota videotaped U.S. troops in Iraq using bolt cutters to break through chains and wire seals on the door of a dusty bunker and finding explosives stored inside. (Los Angeles Times)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Manhunt underway for UN hostages, as fears rise of Iraq-style kindappings: "A massive manhunt was underway for three UN foreign election workers whose daylight abduction in Kabul has sparked fears of the start of Iraq-style kidnappings in Afghanistan. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

IRAQ: Interview with new environment minister: "BAGHDAD, 29 Oct 2004 (IRIN) - Iraqâ??s new Ministry of Environment (MoE) was created after last year's US-led war. Its brief is to deal with a myriad of environmental problems, many of which are the legacy of decades of conflict, including radiation at the countryâ??s nuclear bomb-making site at Tuwaitha, about 30 km south of Baghdad. Minister Mishkat Moumin, currently in the United States learning about environmental advocacy, answered IRINâ??s questions by e-mail. Before taking on her new role, Moumin specialised in human rights."

In IRIN: Iraq Crisis

Video of executed Iraqi soldiers on Web: "A militant group in Iraq posted a brutal scene on an Islamic militant Web site: the deaths of eleven Iraqi soldiers, executed one by one. The video was accompanied by a message warning all Iraqi police and soldiers to desert - or face death."

In Kansas City Star: Iraq

Zarqawi and Bin Laden: "How deep are the connections between Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant thought to be in Iraq, and Osama Bin Laden?"

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Tactical concerns over UK troops: "The possible deployment of a British unit to central Iraq raises tactical questions, says News Online's Paul Reynolds"

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Fears for Japan hostage in Iraq: "Fears grow for a Japanese hostage after a key deadline passes but Baghdad says his body has not been found."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Taliban claims it kidnapped Briton: "International aid workers were keeping their heads down in Afghanistan following the brazen daylight kidnapping of a Briton and two other foreign UN election staff in the capital, Kabul."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Body found in Iraq not Japanese hostage in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Aid workers in lockdown after election workers kidnapped in Kabul in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

U.S. Forces Poised to Attack Rebel Iraqi Cities: "U.S. marines prepared onFriday for a "decisive" assault on the Iraqi cities of Fallujaand Ramadi to crush Sunni Muslim insurgents and Arab militantsbehind suicide bombings and beheadings of hostages. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Inside besieged Falluja: "A reporter in the rebel-held city of Falluja in Iraq tells BBC News Online of the mood in the besieged stronghold."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Iraq death toll 'soared post-war': "Poor planning and coalition air strikes have led to more than 100,000 extra civilian deaths in Iraq, scientists find."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Rumsfeld joins Iraq explosive row: "The US Defence Secretary enters the row over large amounts of explosives allegedly looted in Iraq."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Iraq violence: Your reaction: "Explosives have vanished from a former military complex in Iraq, the UN says. Could this increase violence further?"

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Iraqi security forces face onslaught: "Iraqi security forces face serious problems of training and effectiveness says News Online's Paul Reynolds"

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

The State | 10/27/2004 | Soldier helping Iraqis connect

2004-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Posted on Wed, Oct. 27, 2004

Soldier helping Iraqis connect

Major from Columbia assists in finding places to build cellular towers

By CHUCK CRUMBO

Staff Writer

More Iraqis are going wireless thanks to people like Columbia resident Shane Ousey.

Maj. Ousey, a 40-year-old Army signal officer, works with an Iraqi cell phone company to find locations to build cellular towers in Baghdad.

“There are a lot of key places where they want to put towers that are under American control,” said Ousey, who is assigned to the multinational forces communications control center at Camp Victory Base, near Baghdad.

It behooves the military to help because cell phones are the most convenient way for U.S. commanders to contact Iraqi contractors.

“The military does a lot of business with local contractors,” who do their business over cell phones, Ousey said in a recent telephone interview with The State.

Additionally, the military can suggest tower locations to improve service, he said.

The cell phone business has surged in Iraq, going from only a handful of users in April 2003, after Saddam Hussein was toppled, to more than 500,000 customers today. By comparison, traditional land-line phone systems have about 50,000 Iraqi users.

Unlike the United States, where there are a number of cell phone providers, Iraq has just three cellular companies. Each is granted a monopoly in its area of operation.

Cell phone providers do not sell contracts for services to customers like they do in the United States. Instead, they sell prepaid-service cards, which are popular in Europe.

A Colorado native, Ousey enlisted as a combat engineer in the Army in 1990, went through ROTC and became a signal battalion officer. Before his Baghdad assignment, he was at Fort Jackson, where he was executive officer of a training battalion.

When his deployment ends next spring, Ousey plans to return to Columbia and begin a 3-year assignment as a professor of military science at the University of South Carolina.

Once he is finished at USC, he will be eligible to retire.

After more than 20 years of moving around the country and being deployed to Bosnia, Korea, Africa and Iraq, Ousey said he and his family might settle down in the Palmetto State.

“My wife really likes it,” Ousey said, adding that, in any event, his family will be in Columbia long enough for 15-year-old Trevor to graduate from Ridge View High School. Trevor plays clarinet in the Blazer band.

“I would be very content to park it right here, root in and call Columbia home,” said Ousey’s wife, Cindy, a third-grade teacher at Forest Lake Elementary School.

“Columbia has been very kind to us. I have been blessed to make many friends here, and I honestly feel that I have an excellent support network between other band moms, teachers, our church and neighbors.”

But making that decision to retire and stay in Columbia will be tough, she said. “I can barely imagine Shane as anything but a soldier.”

The Ouseys stay in touch mostly by e-mail and occasional phone calls.

Being a teacher’s spouse, Ousey also sometimes contributes to his wife’s lesson plans — even from Iraq.

His offerings for third-graders are not about war, though. They are pictures of creepy creatures that crawl and slither across the Iraqi sands.

One hit with the class, Cindy Ousey said, was a picture of a snake, minus its head, being devoured by wasps. Another favorite — a photo of two huge camel spiders that were found in a soldier’s sleeping bag.

“My third-graders love those kinds of pictures,” Cindy Ousey said. “Of course, he has sent other more traditional photos of palaces, etc., but nothing turns on third-graders like gross stuff.”

Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503 or ccrumbo@thestate.com.

The State | 10/27/2004 | Soldier helping Iraqis connect

Yahoo! News - For ex-GIs, fitting in on campus a struggle

2004-10-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Lying on the hood of the Humvee he used as his bed for much of the war, Brandon Nordhoff would put on his earphones, turn up the volume on his Discman to drown out battlefield noises, and imagine himself at a party back on the Indiana University campus.

After one such dream, Nordhoff determined that when he returned to campus, he would pledge a fraternity and make up for the social life he lost while deployed with his Indianapolis-based Marine reserve unit.

He has made up for lost time with his social life, but for Nordhoff and many of the thousands of Iraq (news - web sites) war veterans, the transition from war zone to campus hasn't gone smoothly. They acknowledge they struggle to mend war wounds, mental and physical, while trying to readjust to the relative triviality of life as a student.

As the oldest pledge in this year's Acacia fraternity class, Nordhoff, 21, often feels awkward. Partying while many of his Marine buddies are still in Iraq now seems frivolous. And the occasional war protest on campus can make him furious.

"Going to war changes you," said the corporal, a junior from Kirksville, Ind., a small farming community near Bloomington. "I feel 200 percent different than the people in Bloomington and a lot of the kids at the university."

In the first few weeks of the school year, veterans affairs officers at campuses throughout the Midwest have reported being inundated with soldier-students looking for help collecting their education benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill.

The officers can help them straighten out their benefits, but universities have no one designated to help the GIs with the transition from battlefield to classroom.

Although the Iraq war hasn't generated the unrest on campuses that the Vietnam War brought in the 1960s and 1970s, divided opinion on the current conflict is obvious. Some returning soldiers complain that their classmates and professors often have a shallow view of the war and that they don't show enough support for the troops.

"Inevitably in classes, you have these kids who criticize the war and criticize the president and don't know what they're talking about," said Cpl. Daniel Rhodes, a Marine reservist from west suburban La Grange and a senior in political science at the University of Illinois in Champaign. "I want to say to them, `Do you realize that you're sitting here in a classroom, living freely, because we're willing to fight?'"

Yahoo! News - For ex-GIs, fitting in on campus a struggle

The Sheep Dogs by Russ Vaughn

2004-10-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Sheepdogs

Most humans truly are like sheep

Wanting nothing more than peace to keep

To graze, grow fat and raise their young,

Sweet taste of clover on the tongue.

Their lives serene upon Life’s farm,

They sense no threat nor fear no harm.

On verdant meadows, they forage free

With naught to fear, with naught to flee.

They pay their sheepdogs little heed

For there is no threat; there is no need.

To the flock, sheepdog’s are mysteries,

Roaming watchful round the peripheries.

These fang-toothed creatures bark, they roar

With the fetid reek of the carnivore,

Too like the wolf of legends told,

To be amongst our docile fold.

Who needs sheepdogs? What good are they?

They have no use, not in this day.

Lock them away, out of our sight

We have no need of their fierce might.

But sudden in their midst a beast

Has come to kill, has come to feast

The wolves attack; they give no warning

Upon that calm September morning

They slash and kill with frenzied glee

Their passive helpless enemy

Who had no clue the wolves were there

Far roaming from their Eastern lair.

Then from the carnage, from the rout,

Comes the cry, “Turn the sheepdogs out!”

Thus is our nature but too our plight

To keep our dogs on leashes tight

And live a life of illusive bliss

Hearing not the beast, his growl, his hiss.

Until he has us by the throat,

We pay no heed; we take no note.

Not until he strikes us at our core

Will we unleash the Dogs of War

Only having felt the wolf pack’s wrath

Do we loose the sheepdogs on its path.

And the wolves will learn what we’ve shown before;

We love our sheep, we Dogs of War.

Russ Vaughn

2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment

101st Airborne Division

Vietnam 65-66

The Sheep Dogs by Russ Vaughn

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes

2004-10-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

Education center at LSA Anaconda opens the door to a better future

By Juliana Gittler, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, October 27, 2004

LSA ANACONDA, Iraq — Soldiers wanting to advance their career, change jobs, become an officer or knock out some college courses during their down time in Iraq now have a few classrooms to try to reach those goals at LSA Anaconda.

“They’re basically in a holding pattern while they’re deployed,” said LSA Anaconda and 13th Corps Support Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Dan Elder. “They want to be promoted, they want to be warrant officers. They want to further their career. Education isn’t necessarily part of the deployment package [so] we had to carve out something.”

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

2004-10-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment make their way through a residential section of Ramadi, Iraq , during a raid Thursday Oct. 28, 2004. Marines raided dozens of buildings, detained six Iraqis and recovered small arms and ammunition, while insurgents attacked the area with mortars and detonated a roadside bomb as the Marines returned to their base. There were no casualties. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

A U.S. Marine from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

2004-10-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

A U.S. Marine from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment watches the area through his rifle scope during a raid in a residential section of Ramadi, Iraq (news - web sites), Thursday Oct. 28, 2004. Marines raided dozens of buildings, detained six Iraqis and recovered small arms and ammunition, while insurgents attacked the area with mortars and detonated a roadside bomb as the Marines returned to their base. There were no casualties. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

2004-10-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment prepare to enter a home during a raid in a residential section of Ramadi, Iraq , Thursday Oct. 28, 2004. Marines raided dozens of buildings, detained six Iraqis and recovered small arms and ammunition, while insurgents attacked the area with mortars and detonated a roadside bomb as the Marines returned to their base. There were no casualties. (AP Photo/Jim MacMillan) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

2004-10-28T05:19:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
U.S. Air Strike Kills Two in Iraq's Falluja (Reuters): "Reuters - U.S. planes bombed the Iraqi city of Falluja overnight, killing two people, in a new strike on rebels digging in for an expected U.S.-led offensive."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

U.S. Bombs Suspected Rebel Site in Iraq (AP): "AP - U.S. aircraft bombed a suspected rebel safehouse Thursday in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, killing two people, the U.S. military and witnesses said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

British troops start perilous Iraq mission, Japan defiant after kidnapping (AFP): "AFP - Hundreds of British soldiers have left southern Iraq on a risky mission to free US forces for a possible assault on rebel-held Fallujah, as a kidnapped British woman was seen reportedly pleading in a new video for the withdrawal of British troops from the country and the release of Iraqi women prisoners."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Car Bomb Hits U.S. Patrol in Iraq; 2 Dead (AP): "AP - A car bomb exploded Thursday in southern Baghdad, killing a U.S. soldier and at least one Iraqi civilian, the U.S. military said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Armed Group Claims to Have Iraq Explosives (AP): "AP - An armed group claimed in a video Thursday to have obtained a large amount of explosives missing from a munitions depot facility in Iraq and threatened to use them against foreign troops."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Japan Presses for Release of Iraq Hostage (AP): "AP - Japanese leaders struggled on Thursday to make contact with Islamic militants in Iraq who took a Japanese traveler hostage as the 48-hour deadline approached for the young man's threatened beheading. Tokyo stood firm in its refusal to meet the kidnappers' demand to withdraw troops from Iraq."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

U-S aircraft bomb suspected "meeting site" in Iraq's rebel-held Fallujah in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

U-S soldier, civilian killed in Iraq car bomb in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Iraq Explosives Claim URGENT in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Hostage Hassan makes new plea: "The kidnapped British director of CARE International has made another plea for Britain to withdraw troops from Iraq and asked for the aid organisation to close its offices in the country."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Arafat 'in serious condition': "Yasser Arafat was in serious condition after collapsing and briefly losing consciousness, as his two-week illness took a sudden turn for the worse."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

Black Watch reach first camp: "A Black Watch battle group has camped in the Iraqi town of Nasiryah on their way to the Triangle of Death to relieve US forces."

In Ananova: War In Iraq

U.S., allies leave mark on history in Iraq: "Hammurabi the lawgiver was here. So were Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Saddam Hussein and now, apparently, Sgt. Woods and "O-Dog.""

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Russian troops linked to missing Iraqi explosives (AFP): "AFP - Russian special forces "almost certainly" removed the explosives missing from a military base south of Baghdad before the March 2003 US invasion and sent them to Syria, Lebanon and possibly Iran, The Washington Times daily said quoting a US official."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Once again Blackfive says it all !!

2004-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, "You can't be anti-war and support the troops at the same time." It just doesn't work. The terrorists are encouraged by anti-war rhetoric. And they will keep striking harder as our resolve appears to weaken.

And our courageous men and women just might come home to the same reception that our Vietnam veterans received. I know that almost every single one of you reading this op-ed will do everything that you can in order to prevent that from happening. But it may not be enough...
Blackfive

Move America Forward

2004-10-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Siobhan Giuney
October 26, 2004 (916) 441-6197

FINAL PRE-ELECTION AD BUY:

Move America Forward
Takes to Airwaves With New TV Spot:

* NEW Iraqi Intelligence Documents Indicate Extensive Ties Between Al Qaeda & Iraq

* Documents Reveal WMD in Iraq Not Long Before U.S. Led Invasion

(SACRAMENTO) – The pro-freedom/pro-America group, “Move America Forward,” today released their final ad that will air prior to next Tuesday’s election.

The ad titled “WMD Al Qaeda” focuses on newly discovered Iraqi Intelligence Service documents that indicate Saddam Hussein did indeed possess Weapons of Mass Destruction not long before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The documents also reveal much more extensive ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda than has yet to be reported by media organizations.

The documents were obtained and first reported by CNS News, and sources tell Move America Forward that the documents have been determined to be authentic by officials in the Department of Defense and Defense Intelligence Agency.

“The American people deserve to know the truth about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Had we not taken action, Iraq would have eclipsed Afghanistan as the most despicable backer of terrorist organizations,” said Melanie Morgan, Vice Chair of Move America Forward.

“We have learned from extremely reliable sources that the Department of Defense and Defense Intelligence Agency have obtained copies of these documents and verified their authenticity,” said Morgan.

The ad can be viewed online at http://www.moveamericaforward.org/. Members of the press corps desiring a copy of this ad in Beta, VHS or other format can call Siobhan Guiney, Executive Director of Move America Forward, at (916) 441-6197.

FROM THE EDITORS OF GQ MAGAZINE

2004-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

FROM THE EDITORS OF GQ MAGAZINE

October 20, 2004
TO: U.S. MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS
FROM: GQ MAGAZINE - NEW YORK

To mark the 2nd anniversary of the Iraq war, GQ magazine will publish a photo essay in March, made up entirely of pictures taken by members of the US military. We want to show America what the war looks like to the men and women who have fought it, the people who live it, instead of relying on journalists. We hope you see this as a unique way to tell your story, and we think it will become an important part of history.

We are soliciting your pictures. Please send us ANY AND EVERY PICTURE YOU HAVE. Don’t edit your photographs! What may not seem interesting to you could be important for the essay. This project will reflect the war the way it really is, and we are not averse to blood, dirt or anything else, as long as it really happened. We want pictures of you, your buddies, battles, what you do to entertain yourself when you’re bored, even pictures your families have sent you from home. Think as broadly as possible.

Please send your pictures as soon as possible.

Email to: GREG POND at GQ: greg_pond@gq.com
Or, send prints or discs to:
Bradley Young/Greg Pond - GQ Magazine/Photo Department
4 Times Square, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10006 USA

HIGH RES FILES (IDEALLY, 300 DPI) ARE PREFERRED, but we will accept ANYTHING you can send. Prints and/or discs will be returned in a timely fashion. On either email or regular mail, mark clearly IRAQ PHOTOGRAPHS, and include: your NAME, RANK, AGE, EMAIL, PHONE NUMBER, AND WHEN YOU WERE IN IRAQ. We can’t publish your pictures if we can’t reach you.

GQ will contact you if your pictures are chosen. We will pay you between $200 to $1,000 for each picture published (depending on the size your pictures are printed.) We will also credit you in the magazine, unless you prefer to be anonymous. We are also planning an exhibition of the photographs, to be held near the anniversary of the war, in New York.

Please email us if there are other people you know who would be interested in this project, or if there are places on the internet where we can post an announcement. Please forward this email to anyone you know who might be interested in participating.

Thank you for your consideration. Email with any questions. We look forward to seeing your pictures!

Operation Shoe Fly brings smiles

2004-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Operation Shoe Fly brings smiles
Alabama helicopter pilot ferries troops, supplies in Afghanistan, as well as clothes for remote villages
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
TOM GORDON
News staff writer
An Alabama soldier is helping fly troops and supplies around Afghanistan, and even helped fly President Hamid Karzai to parts of the country during the recent national election campaign.

But Capt. Adam Reynolds is part of another operation that to him is a worthy addition to his military mission: bringing shoes, clothing and other necessities to Afghan villagers.

"It's real cool to see what we're doing for them and how they're reacting to it," said Reynolds, 28, a Pell City native and University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate. He spoke by phone from Bagram Air Base, north of the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Operation Shoe Fly brings smiles

Far From Home : Index

2004-10-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

New Milblogger, I hope you all have a chance to email encouragement to this hero,
Patti

Far From Home : Index

1st Response Care Package

2004-10-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

We need your help. Please donate Items for the wounded TODAY

1st Response Care Package
FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL US

A US soldier carries a rocket

2004-10-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

A US soldier carries a rocket he removed from close to the wreckage of a car bomb along a road north of the city of Baquba. A US soldier was killed and another wounded in a suspected motorcycle bombing against their convoy in eastern Iraq , the military said.(AFP/Ali Yussef) Yahoo! News - World Photos - AFP

Operation Bracken

2004-10-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

British troops make their way north from southern Iraq to start Operation Bracken, October 27, 2004. British troops moved north from Basra to take over a deadly area near Baghdad and free up U.S. troops for a possible attack on Falluja. Photo by Reuters (Handout) Yahoo! News - World Photos - Reuters

American Hero PFC CHRISTOPHER ADAIR

2004-10-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

PFC CHRISTOPHER ADAIR
Chris is 20, serving in Iraq with the Ist Marine Division, 2/7 Echo Company. He is radio operator. Chris was the youngest in our small valley of Westcliffe, CO to go out and get his red card for wild land firefighting and also was a member of our volunteer fire department. He loves his friends and family and misses them and our mountains very much.

News First Online

Star - Vehicle bombed in Baghdad

2004-10-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Vehicle bombed in Baghdad
October 27, 2004

Baghdad - Witnesses claimed attackers detonated a roadside bomb today in the Iraqi capital, and news footage showed US forces at the blast site guarding a destroyed 4x4.

Associated Press Television News showed the vehicle flipped over and peppered with holes in Ghazaliya.

The US military had no immediate information on the attack.

In a separate incident, insurgents hit a US Bradley armoured vehicle with a bomb on Baghdad's airport road, damaging it, but causing no injuries, the military said.

The Ghazaliya blast came as about 800 British troops, accompanied by US marines, began making their way toward Baghdad today as part of a redeployment ahead of an expected coalition offensive against insurgent strongholds.

British Lieutenant Colonel James Cowan said British troops left the southern city of Basra to head for a base north of Hillah, about 95km south of Baghdad. Forty US marines were with them, he said.

APTN footage showed large flatbed trucks carrying British armoured vehicles up a road through Iraq's southern desert.

Nearly 800 Scottish soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Black Watch, are to replace US forces who are expected to take part in offensives against insurgent strongholds west and north of the capital to bring order to Iraq before elections in January.

The US military wants the British to assume security responsibility in areas close to Baghdad, so US forces can move to insurgency strongholds west of the capital. - Sapa-AP

Star - Vehicle bombed in Baghdad

Jihad Unspun - An UNClear View On The US War On "Terrorism"

2004-10-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Ansar al-Sunnah Army Captures 11 Guardsmen; US Warned On Entering Fallujah
Oct 27, 2004
JUS News Desk

An Iraqi resistance group has claimed to have captured 11 US-backed Iraqi National Guard soldiers hostage. They were seized on a highway between Baghdad and Hillah, according to the Internet posting by Ansar al-Sunnah Army. The posting included the names of all 11 but as of press time no demands for their release have been made.

Meanwhile, a masked gunman warned in a videotape that Mujahideen will attack all Iraqi and multinational military and civilian targets with "weapons and military tactics they have not experienced" if US occupation forces try to storm the city.

In the videotape obtained by Associated Press Television News, the gunman, dressed in an old-style Iraqi army uniform, read the statement on behalf of the factions of Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq.

The speaker, who appeared with seven other masked and armed men, accused the Iraqi government of "aborting a peaceful solution with the people of Fallujah." He warned all Iraqi military personnel and government employees to quit their jobs or otherwise they "will be permissible targets for our fighters."

Jihad Unspun - A Clear View On The US War On "Terrorism"

Japan refuses to withdraw troops from Iraq as hostage faces execution

2004-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Japan refuses to withdraw troops from Iraq as hostage faces execution
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-27 20:42

Japan insisted it would not bow to the demands of Islamic militants in Iraq who threatened to behead a young Japanese unless Tokyo withdraws its troops from the country within 48 hours.

Masumi Koda, father of Shosei Koda, identified as the Japanese man taken hostage and threatened to be beheaded by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Iraq, speaks to reporters with his weeping wife Setsuko outside their home in Nogata, southern Japan October 27, 2004. [Reuters]
"The Self-Defence Forces will not withdraw," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a staunch US ally, said as he went ahead with a tour of typhoon damage in western Japan. "We must not bow to terrorism."

The al-Qaeda-linked group of Iraq's most wanted man Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi released a video overnight on the Internet of a shaggy-haired Japanese-speaking man in a white T-shirt, at the feet of three armed and masked men.

"We are giving the Japanese government 48 hours in which to withdraw its troops from Iraq, otherwise this infidel will join the others (executed)," a militant said in the video.

Among the others, the militant mentioned the American Nicholas Berg and Briton Kenneth Bigley, who were both decapitated.

The Japanese man said on the video: "Mr Koizumi, they demand the Japanese government withdraw the Japanese Self-Defence Forces from Iraq or they will chop off my head.

"I'm sorry, but I want to come back to Japan," he said unemotionally in Japanese.

Japan identified the hostage as Shosei Koda, a 24-year-old from southern Fukuoka province who "has been wandering around many countries", said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the government spokesman.

Koda had been in New Zealand on a working holiday until July but had not been in contact since, his father said, according to the foreign ministry.

The incident marked the second hostage crisis faced by Koizumi, a close supporter of US President George W. Bush, since his historic decision to deploy troops to Iraq despite widespread domestic opposition.

In April militants kidnapped three Japanese aid workers and two journalists in Iraq but they were released unharmed after days
Japan refuses to withdraw troops from Iraq as hostage faces execution

2004-10-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

Iraq War News
Iraq British URGENT in Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

Kin of Slain Troops Harden Political Views (AP): "AP - In the year and a half since her son died in Iraq, Arlene Walters has transformed her living room into a shrine."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

British troops in southern Iraq start heading north (AFP): "AFP - A battle group of British troops in southern Iraq started to move northwards on a US-requested mission to more dangerous areas nearer Baghdad, an AFP reporter said."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

British military begins deployment in Iraq: "Some 800 British forces, accompanied by U.S. Marines, began making their way toward Baghdad on Wednesday as part of a redeployment ahead of an expected coalition offensive against insurgent strongholds."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Iraq PM: US-led military negligent in recruit massacre, Japan refuses troop withdrawal (AFP): "AFP - Iraq's prime minister accused the US-led military of negligence in the massacre of 49 unarmed Iraqi soldiers, and Japan refused to withdraw its troops from Iraq following a kidnapping."

In Yahoo! News: Iraq

Al-Qaqaa Spokesman Says No Weapons Search: "One of the first U.S. military units to reach the Al-Qaqaa military installation south of Baghdad after the invasion of Iraq did not have orders to search for the nearly 400 tons of explosives that are missing from the site, the unit spokesman said Tuesday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Independent probe sought in Abu Ghraib case: "LONDON (AP) - Amnesty International on Wednesday renewed its call for the United States to set up an independent investigation of the abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan, at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."

In Fresno Bee: Iraq

Iraq group 'seizes Japan citizen': "Japan's prime minister rejects Iraqi militants' demands for a troop pullout after a Japanese man is seized."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)

Pentagon mulls Iraq troop boost: "The US is considering sending more troops to Iraq in the run-up to January election, the Pentagon confirms."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq

Soldiers' Angels Featured Artist

2004-10-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

This song heroes is so close to our hearts if you can, click on the link and then visit their website...Here

Soldiers' Angels

Renegade Rail

God Bless Our Troops

Soldiers' Angels Operation Holiday Spirit

2004-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Our troops need a holiday surprise. Our troops will be gone for another year lets send them some Holiday cheer. We are starting our Stockings for Troops Campaign.

We would like for all of the men and women in the military to know that they are not forgotten this holiday season. Please help by donating a stocking and an AT&T phone card so all our military members may call home and share the holidays with their families.

Thousands of Angels Seeking Help with Getting Holiday Stockings for the Troops

Soldiers' Angels launch Operation Holiday Spirit

(PRWEB) October 7 , 2004 -- Having a must do mindset the members of Soldiers' Angels have made it their number one priority to get Christmas stockings to all of the men and women deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world during this upcoming holiday season. What started as a small wish of Patti Patton-Bader, the founder, has sparked attention from several large corporations, a radio-talk show personality, and a Hollywood actor.

Also in this campaign is the efforts of VFW in Centerreach, New York who has agreed to pack all of the stockings.Soldiers' Angels, a non profit organization started by a mother whose son informed her that members of his unit were not receiving mail from home. The organization has been sending letters and care packages to our men and women of the military since June of 2003. " no soldier go unloved" has been Patti Patton-Bader's motto since the beginning of what started out as one woman's dream has grown to over 14, 000 members supporting our military. To date the organization has about 10,000 military members in its adoption program. While the numbers keep growing everyday the members have not lost focus of their mission and that is to "provide aid and comfort to our military"

Since starting the Stockings for Troops campaign the organization has received 331 cases of items from Neutrogena they plan on putting in the Christmas stockings. AT&T, the only carrier whose phone cards work from many locations where our military are currently deployed. Ms. Patton-Bader and the rest of the Angels believe that if our military cannot be home for the holidays, they can a bit of home to our military. Between now and November 20th Soldiers' Angels hopes to send 140, 000 Christmas stockings to the military men and women defending our countrites freedom far from home. The organization would like to fill each stocking with a card of encoragement, an AT&T phone card, some holiday candy, hot chocolate packets, instant soup, a sand scarf, and other holiday items. They have set up a special link on their website, www.soldiersangels.com for monetary donations.

They are asking that all donations of stockings, AT&T phone cards, cards, and other holiday items to fill the stockings be sent to the

VFW Post 4927,
31 Horseblock Road,
Centerreach, NY 11720.

All monentary donations can be sent to
Soldiers' Angels,
1792 E. Washington Blvd.,
Pasadena, CA 91104.

You may call John Adams of the VFW at (631) 585-7390 or Patti Patton-Bader at (626) 398-3131 for more information on items needed or how to donate.

Soldiers' Angels

Godspeed Hero

2004-10-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

asoldiersblog.com
Army SGT Nicholas with our son Dylan(the baby) and his 3 stepchildren. This picture was taken on July 20th, 2004 at our home on Fort Hood the day he went back for the rest of his year in the sandbox!

God Bless Our Troops

US soldiers with the 2-17 Field Artillery Regiment

2004-10-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

US soldiers with the 2-17 Field Artillery Regiment frisk Iraqis at a military checkpoint in Ramadi, west of Baghdad.(AFP/Patrick Baz) Yahoo! News - Mideast Photos - AFP

Syrian border village is caught in the cross-fire

2004-10-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Syria Villagers in this tiny hamlet abutting the Syrian-Iraqi border no longer wait for the call to prayer to mark the end of the daily fast for Ramadan. Instead, sundown arrives in tandem with an eruption of mortar rounds and gunfire between Iraqi insurgents and the American forces stationed right next door.
.
"Even before the muezzin cries out 'Alluhu Akbar' we start hearing the bombs and shelling," said Fayad al-Hussein, the owner of a one-story cement house with an unexploded mortar round in his front yard and a view of the American flag flapping over a small base some 200 meters, or 650 feet, away in the Iraqi town of Qaim.
.
"Now, just 10 minutes before the call to prayer, we gather all the children into the house because we are pretty sure there will be a firefight just as soon as the iftar starts," he added, using the Arabic for the sunset meal....more
.
Syrian border village is caught in the cross-fire

U.S. Troops Reinforce After Falluja Air Strike (washingtonpost.com)

2004-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

U.S. Troops Reinforce After Falluja Air Strike
Reuters
Tuesday, October 26, 2004; 8:13 AM

By Alistair Lyon

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops cut roads and reinforced positions around Falluja Tuesday after an air strike aimed at Arab militants said to roam the rebel-held city.

Witnesses said U.S. tanks and armored vehicles blocked the main highway to Jordan that runs just north of Falluja, as warplanes criss-crossed the skies. Troops took up positions in empty buildings on the Sunni Muslim city's southern perimeter.

A civilian driver was shot dead near a U.S. checkpoint on the highway, witnesses said. The military said it was checking the report. Only one road leading northwest out of Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, was open to civilian traffic.

Many families have already fled Falluja fearing a widely expected U.S. assault designed to bring the city under the interim government's control before elections due in January.

The U.S. military said it had carried out a "precision strike" at 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) on a safe house used by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network in Falluja, killing one of his aides. It did not name the man or state his nationality.

Residents said one house was destroyed and three damaged in the strike. Hospital officials reported no casualties.

It was the second time in a few days the military had claimed to have eliminated a Zarqawi associate without identifying him. Saturday it said it had captured a "senior leader" of the group in a raid in southern Falluja.

Interim Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said the government was seeking a political solution in Falluja to "separate the local population from the foreign fighters, the terrorists."

"We are trying to exhaust all political channels and avenues before any final decision is made," he told the BBC.

Zebari said a failed U.S. assault on Falluja in April was "mismanaged," after a lack of consultation with Iraqi leaders.

U.S. Troops Reinforce After Falluja Air Strike (washingtonpost.com)

2004-10-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

US Tightens Net around Fallujah in

Al Zarqawi Honcho Hit in Fallujah in

Aussie Foreign Minister Suggests Media-Terrorist Links in

Thanks, Canada in

NBC Reveals "Huge" Cache Gone before US Got there in

There were no weapons to be stolen in the first place--NBC in IraqWar.info

Syrian border under scruitiny in IraqWar.info

$70 Billion more for Iraq in IraqWar.info

in

Lutz-Patriots

2004-10-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

LUTZ PATRIOTS

Subject: Chaplain's report on Iraq

I thought many of you should have the chance to read a first hand report of what is happening in Iraq with the troops. You can compare for yourself what you read with what you hear from the media.

Dear Friends and Family:

I am addressing this letter to you to express a frustration that I know has been voiced time and again, yet is met with little change. It concerns the media coverage of this war and the effect of that
coverage on the morale of our troops. As a battalion chaplain I hear the comments and complaints of
soldiers who, while performing an incredibly difficult job under hostile and stressful conditions, constantly see their efforts portrayed as futile. NBC's coverage this morning (your Thursday evening, 16 September 2004) is a prime example that I believe shows the gulf that exists between the truth of what is happening here and the deceitful agenda of the mainstream media at home and abroad.

Only 24 hours ago the NBC media crew arrived here and filmed hours of footage with our unit. They were told of numerous projects in which our unit is involved, not only in the area of force protection
and Troop Medical Clinic support, but also in humanitarian aide to a local village here in Baghdad. Here is an example of some of the projects to which they were introduced:

1. The reconstruction and furnishing of a clinic
2. Miscellaneous enhancements for a local elementary school and a local day care center
3. Reconstruction of the decimated electrical, sewer and water systems
4. Reparation of exterior walls and gates surrounding the village
5. Rubble and garbage removal projects to clean up the entire village
6. Construction of a protective chain link fence around the local Shi'a Mosque
7. Studies to examine the development of agricultural systems and a garment industry to help the locals provide for themselves
8. The ever-growing clothing and school supplies drive for the children of the village.

In the roughly one minute clip that they drew from their day of filming, what did they show? The First Lieutenant who is the primary driver of these projects was shown with one quote about never believing he would be in Iraq, being a National Guard soldier. This was followed by their interview of another soldier's wife, saying her husband was supposed to have retired this summer, that his responsibility to the military should be over and that he should be home. They showed NOTHING of
the great humanitarian efforts that are going on here!

.It is coverage like this that is convincing more and more soldiers that the consistent media agenda is to show you, the American people, the futility of our current efforts and how everything is going
wrong. There is no apparent attempt to show all the good that is happening,that,for those of us who are here, far outweighs the very weak, though spectacular, moments of insurgency. And we see it via satellite, just as you do.

In a day of great violence across the country, last Sunday, where the insurgency failed to take one American life, what one film clip was shown over and over? They showed the lone burning Bradley
fighting vehicle, with Iraqis dancing on and around it, waving flags of the insurgency. Out of the thousands of troops who made it safely around Baghdad and the country that day, the media focused on one piece of impressive footage and repeated it over and over until the viewer receives the message that this is all that went on in Iraq today - an insurgent victory. I also remember how the body count, for two days thereafter, was printed in ever-increasing increments, never mentioning who the casualties were - giving the impression that they were American casualties.

The despair and depression, as well as the thankfully limited anti-war sentiment, over our country's efforts in Iraq are not based upon all of the facts. They are rather based on what the media
has chosen to show -and what they have chosen NOT to show. The media knows that they can always find those willing to complain, grouse, protest and disagree. And they splash those voices all over their screens and pages, drowning out the voices that will tell you, as I am, that there is good going on here.

There are things going on here you would be proud of, things that would bring tears to your eyes; like the looks of parents whose children are going to school for the first time in years, equipped with pencils, pens and paper and clothed with clean new clothes.

There are essential services being provided to people to whom they were denied under the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein. There is a trial going on for that man and at least eleven of his evil
cronies who, let us remember, killed over 300,000 people under the watchful eye of the Untied Nations (pun intended) during the 12 years they had responsibility for the health and welfare of this nation (yes, the same, inept organization that is currently ignoring the Darfur, Sudan slaughter of Christians by Islamic fundamentalists).

This was the same time that the oil-for-food program monies were being used to line the pockets of Saddam and his friends and build luxurious palaces like the ones our forces now occupy as headquarters all over this nation. And Saddam all the while complained that it was "American Sanctions" that were killing his people. I don't remember a sanction that required a mass grave.

Please know that the media is NOT giving you the right picture, much less the WHOLE picture. They have an agenda, it is clear, and that agenda does not include the current administration claiming
success in this endeavor. It is unclear if their sensationalist "reporting" will change if the administration changes. The one thing I know as I watch the morale of the men who are here
doing the job is that every time the enemy's paltry attacks are made out by the media to be marker events in Iraq, it becomes a little harder for soldiers to see value in even the greatest things
we are doing. Your care packages, your letters and your constant prayers are the only things that remind us that the majority of thoughtful Americans are truly behind this effort and that what we are doing has great value. Don't let that go. Keep supporting your troops, not just in word, but in action. Remember this: You cannot support the troops AND denigrate the war effort. It is a logical and a practical inconsistency. While the soldier fights the enemy, he needs those behind him to offer support to his back, not daggers. The news media is one of the greatest threats to this war. Just ask a terrorist. Every time he can do something desperate and spectacular and have the effect with one man blowing himself up in a crowd that an entire U.S. Brigade has in securing a city, the media has thrown terror the victory. It is not the side that wins the most ground anymore that is victorious, but the one that can satiate the blood-hungry media. We have given them the stories they need to show how much we are truly doing. The question then must turn to why they have a fascination with making
the villain the victor. If we win this war, it may not be much of a story for them, but if we lose it...

Your troops are doing amazing things here - things many of them are not even trained to do, like a medical platoon leader doing public works projects! I hope that either the media start showing the REAL stories here or that you will show your contempt of their deceitfulness with your complaints and, ultimately, with your vote. Don't watch the news media that thrives on the death of American soldiers to bump their ratings! And remember your troops.

Support of victory is support of your troops.

Sincerely, CH (CPT) Chris Bassett, Baghdad, Iraq

Lutz-Patriots

An Iraqi woman looks onto the street from the roof of her house

2004-10-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

An Iraqi woman looks onto the street from the roof of her house in Baghdad's Shiite district of Washash as US troops comb the area. Nearly 400 tonnes of powerful explosives that could be used in conventional or nuclear missiles disappeared from an unguarded military installation in Iraq , the International Atomic Energy Agency said.(AFP) Yahoo! News - Mideast Photos - AFP