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Nov 25, 2003
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Support For Our Troops
Photo, caption below.
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QUICK RESPONSE — Seen through a night-vision device, soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment respond to gunfire while on patrol near the Civil-Military Operations Center in Samarra, Iraq. The unit is part of the 4th Infantry Division. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jack Morse
Rumsfeld, Myers Laud Troops; Cite Accomplishments in Iraq
By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2003 - Americans everywhere should be thankful for service members serving in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.
     "We're truly fortunate there are so many wonderful young men and women who are willing to step forward and volunteer to serve," he said at a Pentagon news conference. "Their accomplishments deserve full recognition."
      The secretary delivered a list of coalition accomplishments for the week of Nov. 17-23. During that time, coalition service members conducted almost 12,000 patrols and more than 230 targeted raids. They captured about 1,200 enemy forces and killed 40 to 50 and wounded 25 to 30. More
Abizaid: Latest 'Despicable' Attacks Focused on Innocents
By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2003 — The coalition's intensified offensive operations in Iraq have reduced attacks on American forces by about 50 percent during the past two weeks, but as a result, desperate Saddam Hussein loyalists have turned their aggression toward innocent Iraqis, officials told reporters in Baghdad today.
      U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command , said these "despicable terrorist attacks," many against women and children, "are designed only to terrorize people and intimidate them in a way that absolutely cannot be excused." More
Nat'l Defense Authorization Act 'Transformational' Chu Says
By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2003 — The Defense Department's top personnel and readiness official called the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act "transformational" for its support of the department's aim to change to confront the threats of the future.
     President Bush signed the act into law during a Pentagon ceremony Nov. 24. The $401.3 billion budget funds the department through Sept. 30, 2004.
     David Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, spoke about the personnel provisions of the legislation. More
U.S. to Consult Allies on
American Military Posture
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2003 — The Defense Department is ready to start consulting with allies on what the worldwide American military posture should be, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon press conference today.
     Rumsfeld said the decision follows years of interagency work on America's military posture and what it should look like to confront the threats of the 21st century. More
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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.
Iraqi Governance: Government & Leadership
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.
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Afghanistan Update
America Pays Tribute to the Troops

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.

Legacy Project Founder Hands
Out Books to Troops in Bahrain
U.S. Navy Seaman John Tadyeh reaches for Armed Services Edition books aboard the coastal mine hunter USS Raven. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Tim Walsh    MANAMA, Bahrain, Nov. 25, 2003 (NNS) — Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll visited Naval Support Activity Bahrain in November to help distribute more than 20,000 copies of Armed Services Editions throughout Central Command’s area of operation.
     “Everyone I talked to back home about this visit asked me to tell you how much they appreciate what you are doing,” Carroll told the crews. However, he also stressed the ASE project cannot fully convey stateside appreciation for the troops. Story
Rose Parade Float to Honor
Reserve Components, Employers

     WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2003 — Guardsmen, reservists, and their families and employers will have the chance to ride on a float honoring reserve component service and employers' contributions to that service during the Tournament of Roses 2004 parade in Pasadena, Calif. More

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Iraqi Self-Governance Remains U.S.-Coalition Goal, Feith Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2003 — The U.S. and coalition goal in Iraq is "to give the Iraqi people the opportunity to create a new and thriving Iraq" for themselves, a senior Defense Department official said here Nov. 24.
     "Our strategy aims to put the Iraqis in a position to run their own lives, manage their own government and provide for their own security - and to leave as soon as we have done so," Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith told a Heritage Foundation audience.
     Feith said "substantial progress" has been made in assisting Iraqis to establish a new nation free of tyranny since the fall of Saddam Hussein. More     Remarks
Photo Essay - banner image
President Signs Bill at the Pentagon  More Photo Essays
Photo, caption below.
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld escorts President George W. Bush into the Pentagon on Nov. 24, 2003. Bush will sign the Defense Authorization Act with Rumsfeld. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway 3 More Photos
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Bush Signs Authorization Act During Pentagon Ceremony
By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2003 — Calling it a landmark piece of legislation that sends the clear message that "Americans stand with the United States military," President Bush signed the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act in a Pentagon ceremony here today.
     A bipartisan group of legislators and DoD's civilian and uniformed leaders flanked him. More    Remarks
Sniper School Comes to Iraq
By U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Hutcheson
A student at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Sniper Course in Sinjar, Iraq, Nov. 18, 2003, takes aim at a target 700 meters away with his M-24 Sniper Weapon System. The course is taking place in the open prairies of northern Iraq for the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (AIr Assault). U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Hutcheson     MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 19, 2003 — For the first time since 1968, a sniper school is being held on foreign soil during combat.
      The National Guard Marksmanship Training Center sent the cadre of its sniper course to northern Iraq to train the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in skills that have proved to be useful during combat operations. More
Sometimes Soccer Balls are More than Just Sporting Goods
By U.S. Army CPT Coerper / 2-70th Armor Battalion
     BAGHDAD, Iraq - You can look into the future of Iraq through the eyes of its children. Driving in and out of the city each day, different attitudes towards Coalition soldiers are apparent.
     Most children between the ages of five and eleven show a lot of enthusiasm by waving their hands, smiling, and raising their thumbs. Some do show animosity towards soldiers by throwing rocks. More
Navy, Coast Guard Adventure Begins with Working Together
By U.S. Army Spc. Marc Loi / 13th Public Affairs Detachment

     PORT ASH SHUAIBIA, Kuwait — “Trying to access this port without authority is almost a suicide mission,” said Navy Comdr. John Bell. “If the bad guys come, within minutes, we’re going to unload on them.”
      The “bad guys,” in this case, are people trying to access Port Ash Shuaiba with the intents of harming U.S. servicemembers. The “we,” are U.S. sailors and coast guardsmen who patrol the U.S.-occupied port just south of Kuwait City. More

1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regt. Tanks Patrol Baghdad Streets
By U.S. Army Spc. Chad D. Wilkerson / 372nd Mobile Public Affair Detachment

      BAGHDAD, Iraq — At the core of the 1st Armored Division’s fighting force is the M1A1 Abrams tank and the soldiers who operate it.
       Soldiers from A Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force 1st Armored Division, man the M1A1 with pride, and have put the tanks out on the streets of central Baghdad to inspire courage in our allies and fear in our enemies. More

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More News - banner image
Global War on Terrorism
Terrorists Will Not Drive Wedge Between U.S. and Turkey 
Bush, Blair Pledge Solidarity In Wake of Bombings in Turkey 
On Iraq
. Amb. Bremer Explains Steps To Restore Iraqi Sovereignty 
. 82nd Airborne Division Continues to Uncover Caches 
Coalition Provisional Authority Puts $10M Bounty on al-Douri 
Military News
President Grants Extra Time Off For War on Terror Returnees 
Former 'Iron Soldier' Chosen as New Sergeant Major of the Army 
. National Guard, Reserve Update
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Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
4th Infantry Div. Patrols Net Weapons, Explosives
     TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 25, 2003 — Over the past 24 hours, 4th Infantry Division soldiers have conducted 199 patrols, seven raids and captured 18 individuals, according to officials at U.S. Central Command.
     One of those captured was wanted for anti-coalition activity. Thirty-three of the patrols were joint operations conducted with the Iraqi Police, the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and the Border Guard in an effort to continually improve the safety and standard of living for the Iraqi people.
     Weapons and equipment confiscated in raids and patrols throughout the Task Force Ironhorse area of operation include 17 AK-47 assault rifles, one machine gun, 11 rifles, one pistol, three rocket propelled grenade launchers, 24 rocket propelled grenades, 53 grenades, 50 blasting caps, 6 containers of artillery propellant, 60 120mm and 250 60mm mortar rounds, 10 blocks of C4 explosives, 10 sticks of TNT, 50 mortar fuses, 40 spools of wire used to detonate improvised explosive devices and five improvised explosive devices.
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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
“Recently, in Operation Iron Hammer, our coalition worked with the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and police to strike hard against the forces of murder and chaos. We countered attacks, we seized weapons, we brought cold-blooded killers to justice. We're…sending a clear message: Anyone who seeks to harm our soldiers can know that our great soldiers are hunting for them.”
Remarks at Fort Carson, Colo., Nov. 24, 2003

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"In this new kind of war (against terrorism), our military needs to be fast and smart and agile, and it is. Right now, America's armed forces are the best-trained, best-equipped and best-prepared in the world, and this administration will keep it that way."
Remarks at the Signing of the Defense Authorization Act, Nov. 24, 2003
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Airmen Earn Trophy for
Rescue During Afghan Battle
    HURLBURT FIELD, Fla., Nov. 24, 2003 (AFPN) — An AC-130H Spectre gunship crew from the 16th Special Operations Squadron here was awarded the Clarence MacKay Trophy recently for most meritorious flight of the year.
    The 14 airmen of “Grim 31” received the Air Force-level award for saving the lives of 82 U.S. soldiers and two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and crews during a close-air support mission. More
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Profile
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Sarah Grivicic
The hands of 1st Lt. Sarah Grivicic, 25, from Louisville, Ky, an intensive care nurse assigned to the 28th Combat Support Hospital, in support of Operation Iraq Freedom, in Baghdad, flushes a nasogastric tube on a critically ill patient recently. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mark Bell / 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment     BAGHDAD, Iraq - 1st Lt. Sarah Grivicic wanted a challenge when she joined the Army three years ago. Now, she's an intensive care nurse assigned to the 28th Combat Support Hospital. Grivicic, 25, from Louisville, Ky., has the responsibility and challenge to ensure the most critically-injured patients, both American and Iraqi, have the best medical care in the heart of Iraq. More
More Profiles
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Iraq's 55 Most Wanted
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Iraq Update
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Afghanistan Update
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On the Ground
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In Iraq
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Chefs Plan 'All-American Thanksgiving' in Iraq
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A worker with Doud Partners helps to move boxes full of food inside the chow hall for the Thanksgiving meal.  U.S. Army Sgt. Gabe Nix     AR RAMADI, Iraq, Nov. 25, 2003 (Army News Service) — The "All-American Thanksgiving" in Iraq will be festive, said Master Sgt. Mack E. Sumler, a food service supervisor for the 82nd Airborne Division.
     The Thanksgiving feast will include staples such as turkey, ham, stuffing, glazed sweet potatoes, shrimp cocktail, and an assortment of deserts and drinks, Sumler said. More
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In Kuwait
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Troops Enjoy an Evening of Culture 
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'On The Ground' Archive
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