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| ON PATROL — An SH-60 Seahawk helicopter patrols at sunset for merchant vessels suspected of carrying illegal cargo. Pilots and aircrew members from the detachment embarked in USS Vicksburg have been conducting Maritime Interception Operations in the Arabian Gulf. Photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class (SW) Arlo K. Abrahamson, USN |
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Wolfowitz: 'Dirty Bomb' Plot
Highlights Weapons Danger |
| By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service |
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2002 — Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said Tuesday the capture of an Al Qaeda terrorist highlights the dangers posed by the whole range of weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking on the CBS Early Show and NBC Today Show TV programs, Wolfowitz said law enforcement officials captured Abdullah al Muhajir, also known as Jose Padilla, in the early stages of plotting to plant a radiological "dirty bomb" in an American city.
A dirty bomb is conventional explosives surrounded by radioactive material. When the bomb explodes, it spews that material over a wide area in smoke and other particulate matter. The bomb's destructive power depends on the amount, type and size of conventional explosives and radioactive material used.
Wolfowitz said the administration has said many times that the greatest danger facing the United States is "countries that have weapons of mass destruction who work with terrorists." The U.S. State Department lists seven countries that sponsor terrorism: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria and Sudan. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said in the past that the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by his terrorist gang is a religious duty. U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan found evidence that Al Qaeda was aggressively pursuing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear information and material. More |
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U.S. Priority With Padilla is
Intelligence, Not Prosecution |
| By Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem, USA / American Forces Press Service |
NEW DELHI, India, June 11, 2002 — The United States is more interested in extracting intelligence information than in prosecuting Jose Padilla, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld said Tuesday.
Rumsfeld was speaking at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, during a brief stop in that Persian Gulf nation before arriving in India. Padilla, a U.S. citizen also known as Abdullah al Mujahir, was captured May 8 when he flew into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport from Pakistan. The Justice Department transferred him June 10 to Defense Department custody. He is being held in a Navy brig in Charleston, S.C.
"Our interest, really, in this case, is not law enforcement. It is not punishment," Rumsfeld said. "Because he was a terrorist or working with the terrorists, our interest at the moment is to try to find out everything he knows so hopefully we can stop other terrorist acts." More |
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| Dedication Capsule Ceremony |
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| A "dedication capsule" ceremony is held at the repaired Pentagon |
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Jun 11, 2002
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Rumsfeld Sees 'Hopeful
Signs' In India, Pakistan |
By Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem, USA
American Forces Press Service |
NEW DELHI, India — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday he sees "hopeful signs" that tensions are easing in the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.
At a press conference in Qatar, Rumsfeld said the leaders of Pakistan and India had been speaking to U.S. President George W. Bush, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Rumsfeld indicated that such engagements with other world leaders are encouraging. Story
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Pentagon Wears Fresh
Face at Capsule Event |
| Nine months after a jet hijacked by terrorists crashed into the Pentagon, proud construction workers placed a limestone panel into the reconstructed wall. Behind the panel was a bronze "dedication capsule" that contained some special items. Story Photos
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Design Concepts Sought
For Pentagon Memorial |
| The U.S. Defense Department has announced a competition to choose a design for a memorial to honor those killed in the Pentagon terrorist attack last Sept. 11. The memorial is set to be built on a two-acre plot near where the hijacked jet hit the building. The competition is open to anyone. Story Rules |
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| Herat De-silting Project -
Civil Affairs Team Herat made the final payment on the completed Herat De-silting Project, bringing the total amount to $131,900 and 433 metric tons of wheat. The project, a wheat and cash for work program, began to reestablish the flow of water in 19 canals throughout Herat Province in western Afghanistan. The project assisted local farmers preparing for spring planting, put cash into the local economy, employed former Afghan soldiers and provided work opportunities for returning refugees.
Civil Affairs Support to Task Force -
A Civil Affairs team, in support of UK Task Force Jacana, visited two villages south of Kabul last week to distribute 74 blankets, 26 bags of wheat, 22 bags of beans and rice, assorted clothes, notebooks and pens. The team also escorted a British doctor who treated 48 local residents for minor ailments and a dentist who performed dental work.
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| Rhonda Sue Ridge Rasmussen |
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 Rhonda
Sue Ridge Rasmussen, 44, worked in the Pentagon
as a budget analyst for the U.S. Army.
She and her husband Floyd,
who also worked for the Army in the Pentagon
but was able to evacuate safely, traveled the
world during their combined 51 years of service.
She particularly enjoyed their three stints
in Germany, but her favorite place, said her
husband, "was wherever she happened to
be with me and me with her." He said she
was "big of heart, big smile, willing to
listen, laugh at you, put you at ease."
Survivors include her husband; children Nathan,
Jeremiah, Thaddaus and Rebekkah; stepchildren
Michael, Lisa and Shawn; her mother and three
brothers.
We will not forget her.
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