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| TURNOVER TIME — USS John F. Kennedy is relieved of duties by the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea. The Kennedy battle group has been conducting combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Travis L. Simmons, USN |
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'Be Proud, Be Strong, Be Ready,'
Bush Tells 10th Mountain Troops |
| By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service |
WASHINGTON — The Commander-in-Chief praised 10th Mountain Division soldiers — some of whom had battled Al Qaeda and Taliban troops in Afghanistan — during a visit Friday to the unit's Fort Drum headquarters in Watertown, N.Y.
President George W. Bush saluted the 10th Mountain troops, noting they have "a vital mission" which they do well. He also lauded other service men and women, military families and veterans. "I'm honored to serve with you," the president said.
Bush said the 10th Mountain's soldiers and other members of the nation's armed forces are making America's resolution clear to both terrorists and tyrants. "We will prepare deliberately and act decisively," the president said. "America will not leave the safety of our people and the future of peace in the hands of a few evil and destructive men.
"We will defeat the enemies of freedom," Bush emphasized.
Bush said the 10th Mountain fought well in the snow and cold against Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in March during the battle of Shahi Khot valley in eastern Afghanistan. That battle left the Taliban "in ruins," and the Afghanistan people liberated, Bush told a sea of cheering soldiers.
Bush remarked that division troops cleared out more than 100 enemy-held caves and seized 500 stockpiles of ammunition during duty in Afghanistan. And "no cave," he noted, was deep enough to shelter the Taliban and Al Qaeda from American forces.
The United States is not only fighting a war "against the advance of terror and its agents," Bush said. The struggle is for democracy, freedom and human dignity. More Remarks |
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| Bomb Discourages Ethnic Fighting |
| By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service |
WASHINGTON — A. U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II dropped a 500-pound bomb as a show of force in the province of Nangarhar in Afghanistan, Combined Joint Task Force 180 officials said.
Two Afghan groups were engaged in fighting near a U.S. special operations camp. No U.S. service members were involved with the fighting, which seemed to be between two rival factions.
"The U.S. forces were in the area and observed the fighting," said a U.S. Defense Department spokesman. Personnel at the base called on the A-10 to drop a bomb on an unoccupied area near the groups. There were no casualties from the American bomb. More |
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| $10 Billion Approved
for War Effort |
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| Operation Cherokee
Sky #2 |
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| Canadian soldiers move into the hills to search for terrorists |
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Jul 19, 2002
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Chinese Military
Power
Is Secret, but Growing |
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service |
WASHINGTON —
A report to the U.S. Congress detailing the military power
of the People's Republic of China is filled with words
and phrases like "approximately," "roughly,"
"likely" and "is believed to be."
This is because despite tremendous strides in economic
growth, the Chinese government is still extremely secretive
and opaque about military matters.
"The official Chinese military budget is $20 billion,"
said a U.S. defense official. "But the actual money
invested could be as much as four or five times greater.
The $20 billion is just a start."
Very little is really known not only about their finances,
but also about their capabilities. Military-to-military
exchanges between the United States and the People's Republic
are another example of the secrecy the Chinese exhibit.
"In the past, we have shown Chinese counterparts
U.S. capabilities," said the official. "When
we went for reciprocal visits, we saw only showcase units.
We didn't see any operational training exercises."
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| PART TWO |
'Our forefathers are watching to see how
we respond to this threat to our nation' |
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By Maj. Gen. Craig B.
Whelden
Deputy Commander, U.S. Army, Pacific |
| The U.S. Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (USCINCPAC), fielded an automated system called area security operations command and control (ASOCC). This system is an interactive, computer-based system designed to provide situational awareness to commanders and collaborative planning capabilities for use with civil authorities. ASOCC has a series of tools that provide graphic and imagery-based photos and maps with supporting data, collaboration capabilities, a log and alert function, the ability to display time-phased force deployment data, and a means to access and display updated information from web-based status boards and databases. ASOCC is currently fielded at U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) and U.S. Pacific Command. It provides joint rear area coordination-Hawaii (JRAC-HI) a common operational picture that monitors developing situations and activities of friendly forces — both military and civil. Hawaii plans to acquire 12 more systems for fielding to the civilian sector. More |
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| Mari-Rae Sopper |
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Mari-Rae Sopper, 35, a passenger on American Airlines flight 77, was on her way to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she was the new women’s gymnastics coach.
A gifted gymnast, she graduated from Iowa State University and earned a law degree from the University of Denver. In 1996, she moved to Washington, where she joined the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She later worked for Schmeltzer Aptaker & Shepard, a law firm, and as an assistant gymnastics coach and choreographer at George Washington University. "One thing she taught me is, you never settle for less than you’re capable of,” recalled her high school gymnastics coach.
We will not forget her.
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