DefendAmerica 11/15/2003 - Saturday Edition 1

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Nov 15, 2003

DoD Honors Top Employers For Guard, Reserve Support View AFRTS TV Report

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WAR ON TERROR HERO — U.S. Army Maj. Mark Mitchell, Special Forces soldier, is pinned with the second highest military decoration for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, for combat actions in Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, by Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Nov. 14, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. U.S. Army photo by Jennifer Whittle

Japanese PM Tells Rumsfeld Iraq Mission 'Important Cause'

By Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service

      TOKYO, Nov. 14, 2003 — Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today that he agrees that the cause of rebuilding Iraq is important to the international community.
     "He said he believes that Japan's support of successful reconstruction of Iraq is within the national interest of Japan," said a senior U.S. Defense official present at the 45-minute meeting. The Japanese government has made significant financial contributions toward rebuilding Iraq, including a $1.5 billion grant in 2004 and $3.5 billion in loans over the following three years.
     Speaking through a translator, Koizumi explained that he had "seen President Bush's statements recently about the resolve of the coalition and the resolve of the United States, and that he was impressed by that," the U.S. official said.
      "The secretary then emphasized that there should be no doubt that the United States was committed to success in Iraq," he said. More

PRESIDENT BUSH

Extols Importance of Employer Support for Guard, Reserve

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — President Bush recognized the importance of employers in making their employees' military service possible as he signed a proclamation marking National Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve Week.
     "In times of need, our nation counts on the Guard and Reserve members to fulfill their commitments of service," Bush said during a White House ceremony. "We value their courage and we honor their sacrifices. They're defending their nation in the war on terror and they are serving in a just cause."
     The president said reserve component service members depend on the understanding of their employers for their service. More

Wolfowitz Praises Top Civilian Employers of Guard, Reserve

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz today praised the exemplary support provided by nine civilian employers of Guard & Reserve members.
     Speaking at the 2003 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Awards ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Congress, Wolfowitz noted that 156,000 Guard and reserve members are now on active duty in support of the war on global terrorism.
     The Guard and Reserve, the deputy secretary noted, are an indispensable component in the prosecution of the war. Employers too, Wolfowitz emphasized, are performing selfless service for the country, by putting patriotism before profit. More

Wolfowitz: Women's Rights Must be Guaranteed in Iraq

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — "One can't separate the rights of women from the rights of all people," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told a delegation of Iraqi women visiting the Pentagon today.
The 21 women, on a tour sponsored by the World Bank, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the American Bar Association, pushed the deputy secretary to appoint more Iraqi women to official positions in Baghdad. More

Two Army Helicopters
Crash in Mosul, Iraq

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2003 - Two U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed at about 6:30 p.m local time today in West Mosul, Iraq, U.S. Central Command officials announced.
      No immediate word was available on the status of the crews and any passengers who may have been aboard, officials said, adding that an investigation is underway.
      The helicopters were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Soldiers from the 101st, along with Iraqi police and firefighters, were securing the crash site, CENTCOM reported.

Special Forces Major Honored for Heroism in Afghan Prison Battle

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Nov. 14, 2003 — The first Distinguished Service Cross awarded since the Vietnam War, and the highest military decoration awarded to date in the war on terror, was presented today to Army Special Forces Maj. Mark Mitchell.
Mitchell earned the medal for his leadership during the Battle of Qala-I-Jangi Fortress during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was the ground force commander of a rescue operation where he ensured the freedom of one American and posthumous repatriation of another. More

Iraq Weekly Progress Update (Governance, Electricity, Education, Oil, Security, Economics, Health Care)

U.S. Defense Dept. slides with facts &
figures on reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

U.S. State Dept. fact sheet on the latest developments in restoring Iraq's essential services, security, economy & governance.

Veterans Welcome
R&R-Bound Troops

Richard Udoff, Veterans of Foreign Wars District 7 commander, greets a soldier just off a rest and recuperation flight from Iraq. Soldiers participating in the R&R leave program have 15 days' leave. The plane landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 14. It was delayed six hours due to fog in Germany. Photo by K.L. Vantran

BALTIMORE, Nov. 14, 2003 — The moonlight dances with the lights on the tarmac at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as the winds blow rustling leaves across the runway. It's 4 a.m., or "oh-dark thirty" as those in the military like to say.
Inside, custodians busily mop floors around passengers who have sacked out on airport chairs. The area is silent, save for a handful of people quietly talking as they wait for the next flight from Iraq in the military's rest and recuperation leave program. More

Ambassador Bremer: 'Future of Hope' in Iraq Includes Justice

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — Justice is part of the "future of hope" in Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator told the Iraqi people in his weekly broadcast address from Baghdad today.
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III said "the quest for justice takes on a special importance and urgency" in a country such as Iraq, which has known "much injustice." More

Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualty

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2003 — Defense officials announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Nathan J. Bailey, 46, of Nashville, Tenn., died on Nov. 12 in Camp Arifjan, Afghanistan from a non-hostile gunshot wound. He was assigned to the 1175th Transportation Company, Army National Guard, Tullahoma, Tenn. The incident is under investigation.

Radio

Television

House Calls in Iraq More Photo Essays

In a small village in northern Iraq, members of Task Force 1-63 Armor arrive on a medical visit during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Nov. 12, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe 6 More Photos

Feith Defends Coalition's Move To Take Down Saddam Hussein

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime presented a clear and present danger to the United States and to the world and had to be removed, DoD's top policy official told a think tank here Nov. 13.
     Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith defended the actions taken to remove Saddam, which occurred with the fall of Baghdad in early April.
     Saddam's Iraq, Feith maintained, was a genuine world threat because of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, its refusal to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to do their jobs, Iraq's use of WMDs in the past and Saddam's ties with terrorist organizations. More     Transcript

Coalition Continues Crackdown Second Night of Iron Hammer

American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — Army and Air Force aircraft reportedly pounded insurgent staging and operating facilities and killed seven people preparing an attack on U.S. forces during the second night of Operation Iron Hammer in Iraq.
     According to news reports, an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter attacked and killed seven men believed to have been preparing a rocket attack on a U.S. military base near Tikrit. Soldiers later reportedly found hundreds of rockets and missiles at the site.
     U.S. Central Command reported today that Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jets overnight destroyed a building used by terrorists for munitions storage and as a staging area in Husayba, near the Syrian border. More

Fighting Terror War Involves Choice Between Freedom, Fear

By Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks to troops at the Magellan Inn dining facility during his visit to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Nov. 14. Troops from all armed services, including the Coast Guard attended the event. Photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang

     TOKYO, Japan, Nov. 14, 2003 — American and other coalition military forces fighting the war on terrorism are making a choice between living in freedom and living in fear, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a crowd of service members in Guam.
     "Free people are people who can do what they want and say what they want," the secretary told some 200 U.S. troops having lunch at an Andersen Air Force Base dining facility. "Free people cannot live in fear."
     Rumsfeld was visiting U.S. troops on the Western Pacific island as part of a weeklong trip through Pacific Rim countries. He arrived in Tokyo later in the day. More

Gen. Abizaid: Iraq's 'Despicable Thugs' Can't Defeat Coalition

By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2003 — The terrorists trying to undermine coalition efforts in Iraq are a "despicable bunch of thugs," but no military threat exists in Iraq that can drive the United States out, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today.
"The enemy will stop at nothing to create the impression that we can't win," Army Gen. John Abizaid said. "They put ammunition and explosives in ambulances. They store ammunition and explosives in schools and mosques. The same things that you saw from this enemy during the march to Baghdad, you see from this enemy now. More Transcript

Special Ops Troops Serve as Force Multiplier in Terror War

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2003 — Multitalented special operations troops provide senior U.S. military commanders with an array of options in addressing the multifaceted challenges presented by the war on global terrorism, said DoD's top special operations official.
Army, Air Force and Navy special operators have proved their worth in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, noted Thomas O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low intensity conflict. More

Coalition Will Press Fight in Iraq, Vice Chairman Pace Says

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2003 — The coalition will continue to press the fight in Iraq, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said during television interviews Nov. 12.
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed his sympathy to the families of the Italian Carabinieri killed in the Nov. 12 car bombing in Nasiriyah. "We never want to minimize the single death of a soldier from our country or the coalition," Pace said. "Each one of those is tragic." More

U.S. Army Veterinarian Treats
Ailing Brown Bear at Baghdad Zoo

By U.S. Army Spc. Chad Wilkerson / 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 12, 2003 — A tranquilizer gun is a rare type of weapon to see in central Baghdad. Although most U.S. Army servicemembers in Iraq carry assault rifles or machine guns, the veterinarians’ “weapon” of choice at Baghdad Zoo is a syringe dart filled with anesthetic.
This tranquilizer is not meant to cause damage, however, but rather as an aid in repairing damage caused by various medical problems. More

Global War on Terrorism

. Pace: U.S. Making Progress In Global War on Terrorism

. President Signs $87.5 Billion Package for Iraq, Afghanistan

. U.S. Believes Terrorists Still Pose Threat to Civil Aviation

On Iraq

. Iraqis Seek More Responsibility for Governance; U.S. to Assist

. U.S. Forces in Iraq Wield 'Iron Hammer' to Nail Insurgents

. Rumsfeld: Italians Firm in Their Resolve After Attack in Iraq

. Terrorists Strike Italian HQ in Iraq; More Weapons Seized

. Bremer Prepares to Return to Iraq, Continues Discussions

. 'Terror is Not the Tool of the Free'; U.S. Will Finish Mission

Military News

. Rumsfeld Says U.S. Military is Preparing for Modern Threats

. Predictability, Stability at Heart of New Troop Rotation Policy

. VA Secretary Details Plans for Better Care, Service to Veterans

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Florida Church Launches
Operation Sweet Tooth

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2003 — When Mary Massey adopted Robert Campbell earlier this year, she had no idea what to expect. Like others who adopt, she thought that adoption might be a positive and kind gesture that would help another person. Little did Massey know that shortly after adopting Campbell, he would ask for enough cookies to feed 600 of his friends. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Maryland National Guard
Unit Delivers Good Will

Capt. Robert Estes (left) stands next to newly promoted Spc. Jamie Limongelli and Staff Sgt. James Saunders as the soldiers get ready to go on patrol near Kabul, Afghanistan.

Deployed away their families and friends in a remote country and defending, freedom members of the Maryland National Guard are taking the occasion to help children in an orphanage in the Kabul district of Afghanistan.
The young children, many newborns and up to 10 years old are too young to understand religion, politics and let alone war. In their short lives they have only known fear and loneliness. The soldiers of the 290th Military Police Company from Parkville, Md. have put a smile on the faces of these innocent victims of an intolerant regime. While on security patrol North of Kabul the soldiers delivered needed clothes and blankets to the children as well as donated toys from family members and businesses from home. More

	U.S. Views — Quotes by President Bush & other U.S. leaders
	Defense Views — Quotes by U.S. defense leaders
	Maps of Iraq — Maps of the nation of Iraq and the region
	Women of Iraq — U.S. is committed to women's participation in rebuilding Iraq
	Demining Iraq — U.S. is committed to demining program in Iraq

President George W. Bush

"It's very important that our commanders on the ground be given flexibility to be able to adjust tactics to an enemy that is changing its tactics. First of all, the enemy wants to create the condition of fear. They want people to fear them. They will lose that aspect of the battle because we -- our will will remain strong. And secondly, we must use more Iraqis to gather intelligence and to be on the front line of securing their own country. And that's exactly what we're doing. And third, when we find actionable intelligence, we will strike fast to bring killers to justice. And that's what we're doing, as well. "

Remarks at the White House, Nov. 14, 2003

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Two rockets landed near the firebase at Shkin Thursday night. There were no injuries to coalition soldiers or damage to equipment or property in the incident.

More Updates

Profile

Frank Schaeffer
Lance Cpl. John Schaeffer, USMC

Author Frank Schaeffer said his attitude toward the military changed dramatically after his youngest son became a Marine. He and his son, then Marine Lance Cpl. John Schaeffer, co-wrote the book,

PENSACOLA, Fla., Nov. 13, 2003 (NNS) — The only Navy pharmacist to have deployed inside Iraq doubles as the head of the pharmacy department at Naval Hospital Pensacola.
When he’s not “making meds” in the desert of southern Iraq or preparing to implement the first-ever bar coding prescription tracking device at a military medical facility, he’s taking a day off to accept an award as the Navy’s Senior Pharmacist of the Year. More

More Profiles

In Afghanistan

Goodwill Game Volleys Coalition Relationship to New Height

Players from the Korean hospital and U.S. Army hospital at Bagram Air Base take aim at the volleyball during Sunday's goodwill game hosted by the Korean hospital staff. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Johnny A. Thompson

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Nov. 11, 2003 — With intent to foster unity between the coalition forces based here, elements of the Korean hospital and the U.S. hospital at Bagram Air Base joined for a friendly volleyball game and luncheon. The event, held at the Korean compound, afforded the two countries the opportunity to test each other’s athletic skill. More

B-Huts Improve Life at Bagram

Khuda Dad, a local national laborer, does his part to help build B-huts in the new Marine compound on Bagram Air Base. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Hunt

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Nov. 11, 2003 — They’re going up everywhere on Bagram making life a little more comfortable for coalition troops supporting Operation Enduring Freedom here at Bagram Air Base. B-huts are replacing the standard shelter option for troops. More

In Iraq

. Task Force 1-35 Aid Station Staff Honored

'On The Ground' Archive

Send Your 'Best Wishes' to the Troops
Pay tribute to service members supporting the global war on terrorism. Send your message. Read messages to the troops.