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Nov 18, 2003
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Homeland Security Advisory System
Homeland Security Advisory System
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DoD Video Broadcast: U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark T. Kimmitt, CJTF7, in Baghdad, Nov. 18, 3:00PM EST
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Support For Our Troops
Photo, caption below.
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TRAINING — Members of the 447th Air Expeditionary Group, Pararescue Squadron train on insertion and extraction of patients in a hostile urban setting at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall
Supplemental Bill to Improve Quality of Life for Troops in Iraq
By K.L. Vantran / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2003 — Part of the $87.5 billion supplemental appropriations bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan signed earlier this month by President Bush will go toward improving quality of life for troops there.
     "We want people to have air conditioning," Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer Dov S. Zakheim said here Nov. 17. "We want them to have running water. We want them to have decent facilities to sleep in."
     Zakheim said the troops who deployed to Afghanistan started out in "pretty miserable conditions." He said he's visited the country several times and can testify that things are improving every day. More
Raids in Iraq Net 99 Suspects As Insurgents are Rooted Out
By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2003 — Coalition forces in Iraq captured 99 anti-coalition suspects in 25 raids, and the 4th Infantry Division conducted 36 attacks against anti-coalition targets, a U.S. military official told reporters in Baghdad Nov. 17.
     Army Brig. Gen. Mark T. Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force 7, said the raids and overnight attacks took place Nov. 16-17. He met with reporters at the headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
     Kimmitt detailed several operations and their results. More
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PRESIDENT BUSH
Saddam Tape Will Not Deter
U.S. From Finishing Job in Iraq
By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — Saddam Hussein's "same old stuff" and "propaganda" won't keep the United States from completing its mission in Iraq, President Bush said here Nov. 16.
     Speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, the president said he didn't yet have all the details of an audiotape broadcast on the Arabic-language news network Al Arabiya. On the tape, purportedly from Saddam, the speaker urges Iraqis to resist and fight the coalition until it leaves the country. 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.
The New Iraq: Progress & Accomplishments
U.S. State Dept. fact sheet on the latest developments in restoring Iraq's essential services, security, economy & governance.
The New Iraq: Progress & Accomplishments
Defense officials provide an update on the Coalition Provisional Authority & the Iraqi Governing Council agreement that outlines the process of restoring Iraq's sovereignty and the adoption of a permanent constitution.
101st Airborne Discovers Weapons Caches, Detains Iraqis  
    MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 17, 2003 (Army News Service) - 101st Airborne Division soldiers discovered two weapons caches Nov. 16 and detained eight Iraqis during “cordon and knock “ searches in northern Iraq.
     The caches were initially located during an aerial reconnaissance of an area two kilometers west of the Qayyarah West Airfield. The caches contained 20 50-60mm projectiles that had been removed from their casings. More
Officials Still Finding
Restricted Items in Military Mail
      KUWAIT, Nov. 17, 2003 — Military and civilian personnel continue to place restricted items capable of destroying life and property into packages mailed home from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan, theater postal officials said.
     "We have a huge problem with folks trying to send expended and unexpended ordnance, bayonets, U.S. tools, unit equipment, and captured Iraqi equipment," said Col. Donald Kennedy, commander of the 3rd Personnel Command, the unit responsible for postal operations throughout the theater. More
Army Launches 'Ivy Cyclone II'
To Target Insurgents
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2003 — The Army's 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse have launched a combined-arms operation called Ivy Cyclone II in the effort to root out and crush insurgents in Iraq, U.S. Central Command officials announced today.
     Officials said the operation combines "actionable intelligence" with close-air support, Army aviation, armor, artillery, mechanized infantry and air-assault operations for rapid deployment of dismounted artillery. Coalition forces, officials added, will continue to deploy large numbers of forces in specific areas that have been identified as platforms for enemy operations. More
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Photo Essay - banner image
Rumsfeld in Asia 2  More Photo Essays
Photo, caption below.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld shakes hands with Air Force Security Forces airmen while visiting Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Nov. 15, 2003. Rumsfeld was traveling to Guam, Japan and South Korea to meet with U.S. military forces and the local military and civilian leadership. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway, U.S. Air Force 7 More Photos
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Commentary: The Passenger
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramie Brown / Air Force News Agency
     RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Nov. 14, 2003, (AFPN) — Like most Americans, I find that I am pretty selfish sometimes. I learned just how selfish on a recent trip to Iraq. I was sitting on a C-130 Hercules waiting to leave a location I can’t spell or pronounce, when we got delayed. I was annoyed. I’d been traveling for hours trying to get to my destination and here we were, stuck in some out-of-the-way place and I was hot, tired and ready to get there already. Then it happened. I found out we were waiting on another passenger.
      I didn't know his name. I say ‘his’ but I didn’t know if he was actually a he or a she. I didn’t know what branch of service he was in or what rank he was. All I knew was that this passenger cost me another hour and a half on that plane.
      Little did I know how profound an impact "The Passenger" would have on me. You see, this passenger that we had to wait on, who delayed our trip and annoyed me and the other passengers, was a casualty of war. More
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U.S. Soldiers Foil Illegal Border Crossing in Iraq, Kill Attackers
American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — U.S. soldiers prevented an illegal border crossing and killed or captured attackers in three weekend incidents, officials at Combined Joint Task Force 7 in Iraq reported today.
     Soldiers from the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment detained six suspected foreign fighters who were trying to flee from Iraq into Syria the night of Nov. 16. One suspect attacked a soldier with a knife, and was shot and killed. Officials confiscated passports, airline tickets and a large sum of money from the captured men, and are holding them for questioning. More
U.S. Soldiers Capture Brothers Linked to Attacks on Coalition
American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — With Operation Iron Hammer in full swing around Baghdad and Operation Ivy Cyclone II under way around Tikrit, Baquba, Kirkuk and Balad, U.S. and coalition forces continue to crack down on insurgents in Iraq.
     Paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on Nov. 16 captured two brothers linked to attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, U.S. Central Command officials said. More
Presence of U.S. Forces in
Iraq May Continue After June
By K.L. Vantran / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2003 U.S. military forces may remain in Iraq when full sovereignty is given to the Iraqi people in June and the Coalition Provisional Authority dissolves, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, CPA administrator, said in an interview from Baghdad, Iraq, today.
     "Every indication we have in our discussions with the governing council (and) with the ministers suggests a strong desire from the majority of the Iraqi people to have the coalition forces stay until the situation is stabilized," he said on Fox News Sunday. "We're in a war against terrorism here, and a low- intensity conflict against former Baathists. We want to help the Iraqis win both of these wars." More
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International Partners

Polish Task Force Celebrates
Independence Day with Exhibition

Members from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 landed on Bagram Air Base recently, the first Navy E-2C squadron to contribute, not from a ship, but from land. U.S. Army photo     BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Celebrating their 75th Independence Day, the Polish Task Force held an open-house exhibition at the Polish Compound on Bagram Air Base Nov. 11.
      The hour-long exhibition gave coalition partners, who attended the event, a chance to get an in depth look at the weaponry and equipment the Polish Task Force uses in supporting operations in Afghanistan. More

Milestone Flight: U.S. Air Force C-5 Transport Arrives at Balad

By U.S. Air Force Capt. Monica M. Bland / 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing
     BALAD SOUTHEAST AIRFIELD, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2003 (AFPN) — The first C-5 Galaxy arrived here Nov. 12, from Dover Air Force Base, Del., increasing the Air Force presence at the Army's Logistical Support Area. A 14-person crew and about 21 truckloads of war materiel were on board the aircraft.
     "This event is a significant milestone in support of the global war on terrorism and continuing joint operations in this region," said Col. Frank Padilla, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s Detachment 1. More
Iraqi Freedom `Lessons Learned’ Being Gathered Online, Explored
By Janet Wray / Army News Service

     FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan., Nov. 14, 2003 — The Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth is hosting an Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned conference in an online collaborative mode that will culminate by bringing soldiers together at Fort Leavenworth in December.
     The online worksites started in early November and will conclude when attendees come together at Fort Leavenworth in December to finalize the OIF observations, lessons, and implications that have been explored. More

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10th Mountain Division soldiers stand by as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter delivers supplies during Operation Mountain Resolve. The operation, which began on Nov. 7, is currently taking place in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, 4th Public Affairs Detachment
Part One
10th Mtn. Div. Shows its
Mettle In Operation Mountain Resolve
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramie Brown / Air Force News Agency
     NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division lived up to their namesake, braving treacherous terrain and weather to accomplish their initial ground mission during the launch of the Coalition Joint Task Force 180’s latest strike in the war on terrorism, Operation Mountain Resolve.
      Elements of 10th Mountain Division’s Warrior Brigade, led by Company B, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, air assaulted into farm fields on the outskirts of Namgalam Village in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan shortly after nightfall Nov. 6. Upon landing they immediately began their mountainous trek that would ultimately end six days and more than 20 kilometers later on a mountaintop after reaching their objective, a suspected Anti Coalition Militant stronghold. During the first three nights the large 10th Mountain Division force traveled along the mountainsides of the Darrahe Waygal valley along the Fawerikhwar River. More
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2nd Armored Cavalry Regt. Troops Help Raise Village Living Standards
By U.S. Army Capt. Jason Tolbert / 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Having the troops of 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 1st Armored Division, in the village causes the children to smile, laugh and mug for the camera. The 2nd ACR is helping promote the quality of life for the village’s 750 families. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jason Tolbert, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment     BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 17, 2003 - The story of the village of El Hamidiya is one of friendship and cooperation between Iraqi's, coalition and NGO's.
      El Hamidiya is a small village to the north of Sadr City that was founded in 1958. About 750 families who are predominantly Shia inhabit the village. Both Fox Troop and Hawk Company from 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment have engaged the locals and their leadership in order to improve conditions in this outlying village. More
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More News - banner image
On Iraq
Ambassador Bremer: 'Future of Hope' in Iraq Includes Justice 
Wolfowitz: Women's Rights Must be Guaranteed in Iraq 
Feith Defends Coalition's Move To Take Down Saddam Hussein 
Japanese PM Tells Rumsfeld Iraq Mission 'Important Cause' 
Fighting Terror War Involves Choice Between Freedom, Fear 
Gen. Abizaid: Iraq's 'Despicable Thugs' Can't Defeat Coalition 
Military News
U.S. to Reorganize Forces in Korea Around Two Hubs in South
Rumsfeld Reassures South Koreans on Reorganization Efforts
North Korean Military 'Very Credible Conventional Force'
Mosul Crash Leaves 17 Dead, Five Injured, One Missing
Defense Officials Identify 5 Killed in Helo Crash
Proud Families Hang Tough For Late Arriving Loved Ones
Veterans Welcome R&R-Bound Troops 
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Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — Defense Department officials have announced the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldiers were killed on Nov. 15 when two 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters went down in Mosul, Iraq.
     Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Bolor, 37, of Whittier, Calif., was assigned to the 137th Quartermaster Company, U.S. Army Reserve, based in South El Monte, Calif.
     Sgt. John W. Russell, 26, of Portland, Texas, was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
     Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) Scott A. Saboe, 33, of Willow Lake, S.D., was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
     There are five additional fatalities from this incident pending next of kin notification.
U.S. Soldiers Continue to Find Weapons, Build Relations
     AR RAMADI, Iraq, Nov. 15, 2003 — U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division conducted missions in order to stop violence and violent intentions from insurgents who oppose the peace process Nov. 15, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
     Soldiers of the “All-American” Division, as the 82nd Airborne Division are known, went on 182 patrols, nine of which were joint patrols with members of the Iraqi Border Guard and Iraqi policemen. One cordon and search mission and an air assault raid were also conducted over the last 24 hours. More
Deadline Nears to Send
Packages to Deployed Soldiers
     WASHINGTON, Army News Service, Nov. 14, 2003 — Christmas is a month away, but individuals only have half that time to get their packages to deployed troops in time for the holidays.
      The deadline to get packages to the Central Command area in time for Christmas is Dec. 4 by First Class or Priority Mail, according to the United States Postal Service. More
Army Theater Group
To Perform in Iraq, Afghanistan
     FORT BELVOIR, Va., Nov. 13, 2003 (Army News Service) — BRAVO! Army Theatre Touring Company will present “Farley Family Reunion” during the holiday season to lighten spirits of Soldiers deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. More
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Afghanistan Update
America Pays Tribute to the Troops
Artist Turns Iowa Graffiti
Rock into Military Tribute
Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II of Des Moines, Iowa, has painted a different patriotic scene on a boulder north of Greenfield for each of the last five Memorial Day holidays. This is the rock as it now appears.       WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 – Something about a 12-foot-high, 56-ton rock north of Greenfield, Iowa, must scream "Paint me!" to the artistically inclined. For years, it played host to teenagers' graffiti as it stood sentry next to Highway 25, about a mile south of the Greenfield exit off Interstate 80 in Iowa.
     Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, 24, now of Des Moines, Iowa, grew up in Greenfield and had seen the rock countless times. Until 1999, if the rock was calling him to paint it, he wasn't listening. But then he saw the Tom Hanks film "Saving Private Ryan," and soon he answered the call. More
Operation Military Pride
Supports Deployed Troops
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — Once the children are off to school, Arlyn McCoaughry logs onto the computer in her Arizona home and begins reading e-mails from service members deployed throughout the world.
      As chairperson for Operation Military Pride, a non-profit organization that sends letters and care packages to troops deployed overseas, McCoaughry said the items most often requested include baby wipes, junk food, gum, foot powder, gel insoles, magazines and books. More
USO Gears Up Holiday Support
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2003 — The United Service Organizations recently announced it has teamed up with Armed Forces Entertainment and Reader's Digest to help support U.S. troops during the 2003 holiday season.
      The USO, a nonprofit charitable corporation that extends a touch of home to military members, will soon send entertainer Wayne Newton, actor/director Gary Sinise, singer/television star Chris Isaak, country music star Neal McCoy and members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to entertain troops stationed in the Persian Gulf. More
starSign an On-line Thank You Note
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Iraq's 55 Most Wanted
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Iraq Update
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Saddam's Iraq: Reign of Terror
Iraqi Freedom
bullet U.S. Views — Quotes by President Bush & other U.S. leaders
bullet Defense Views — Quotes by U.S. defense leaders
bullet Maps of Iraq — Maps of the nation of Iraq and the region
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President George W. Bush

"The sacrifice that our folks are making in Iraq will serve our nation's interests in the short-term and long-term. It's best to defeat the terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to defeat them here. "
Remarks at the White House, Nov. 16, 2003
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Afghanistan Update
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Profile
U.S. Army Capt. Jan Guy
     TIKRIT, Iraq — As battalion medical officer for the 124th Signal Battalion in Tikrit, Iraq, U.S. Army Capt. Jan Guy and her medics keep their hands full caring for 4th Infantry Division troops.
     In addition to basic aches and pains and injuries from vehicle and other accidents, they treat serious wounds received during raids and patrols in the community, located in the heart of the Sunni Triangle. More
More Profiles
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On the Ground
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In Afghanistan
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Navy Squadron
Supports Bagram Air Base
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Members from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 landed on Bagram Air Base recently, the first Navy E-2C squadron to contribute, not from a ship, but from land. U.S. Army photo     BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2003 — A group of sailors are making history in Afghanistan as they support Operation Enduring Freedom from a forward operating base. More
Goodwill Game Volleys Coalition Relationship
B-Huts Improve Life at Bagram
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In Kuwait
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Humanitarian Effort a Sweet Success
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     KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — Kuwaiti children along with Coalition Forces officials gathered at Humanitarian Operations Center in Kuwait City Nov. 15 to pass on nearly 2,000 pounds of candy to Iraqi children. More
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In Djibouti
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American MPs Share
Tactics with German Counterparts
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Members from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 123 landed on Bagram Air Base recently, the first Navy E-2C squadron to contribute, not from a ship, but from land. U.S. Army photo     NEAR CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, Nov. 10, 2003 — Security personnel here supporting Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa participated in bilateral training with their counterparts from the German military November 1 and 2. More
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In Iraq
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Task Force 1-35 Aid Station Staff Honored
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'On The Ground' Archive
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