DefendAmerica - Home Page 12/29/2003

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Dec 29, 2003

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AIDING IRAN — U.S. Central Air Forces C-130 aircraft commander, Lt. Col. Scott Decker, center, works with Iranian soldiers and other Air Force personnel to offload 20,000 pounds of medical supplies at Kerman, Iran, Dec. 28, 2003, two days after a devastating earthquake destroyed the city of Bam, Iran. U.S. Central Command plans to provide nearly 150,000 lbs of relief supplies from U.S. military logistics sites in the Arabian Gulf. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Jenkins

Bush Praises Troops Fighting Terrorism, Defending Freedom

By Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2003 — President Bush expressed the nation's gratitude to military men and women "defending freedom around the world," in his weekly radio address Dec. 27.
     "These brave Americans are fighting terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere so that we do not meet these killers on our own streets," he said. "We are grateful for the courage and commitment of our troops, and we are safer because of their skill and sacrifice.
     "Separation from loved ones is always difficult, especially at this time of year," he said. "All our men and women serving abroad can know that their families miss them, millions are praying for them, and their nation is proud of them."

Daily Insurgent Attacks Persist In Iraq, but Numbers Declining

By Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2003 — Though the number of attacks by insurgents in Iraq continues the decline it has shown since mid-September, the coalition isn't ready to say the trend will continue.
      At a Baghdad press conference today, Army Brig. Gen. Mark T. Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force 7, pointed out that in mid-September, there were as many as 50 attacks on coalition forces per day.
      "In the last 24 hours, we've only had 14 attacks," he noted. "The number is ranging around 14 to 15 per day. So with the exception of the minor spike we had on Christmas Day, when there were 18, the numbers are going down."
      But the general quickly added, "That doesn't mean they can't start going up next week. We don't think today is a good prediction of what will happen tomorrow." More

5 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Operation Nets 66 Prisoners

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2003 — Four soldiers were killed in operations in Iraq and another was killed in an accident Dec. 24 to 26, coalition officials announced.
News reports said that guerrillas also launched a series of mortar and rocket attacks on coalition targets in and around Baghdad. More

Rewards Announced for Capture Of Former Regime Members

     BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 27, 2003 — The Coalition Provisional Authority and Coalition Joint Task Force-7 today announced monetary rewards for the remaining 13 wanted senior members of the former Ba’athist Regime.
      The capture of Saddam Hussein brings to 42 the number of the “deck of 55” either captured or killed by Iraqi and coalition security forces. With these new rewards, Iraqi security forces and the coalition expect final closure to this search.
      “With Saddam Hussein now captured, the Iraqi people are able to focus on their future of freedom and stability,” said Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, CPA administrator. “The Iraqis and the coalition look forward to taking out of circulation the remaining senior members of his regime and continuing the reconstruction and reconciliation of this 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.

. Maps of Iraq

U.S. Central Command
Reports Two U.S. Casualties

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2003 — U.S. Central Command reported the deaths of two soldiers during incidents in Iraq.
     A Combined Joint Task Force-7 soldier died of injuries received in a single military vehicle traffic accident at approximately 8 p.m. Dec. 26 in the Baghdad area.
     The soldier’s name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.
     The incident is under investigation. Northeast of Fallujah, one 82nd Airborne Division soldier was killed and three others were wounded at approximately 1 p.m. Dec. 28 when their convoy was attacked by an improvised explosive device. The three wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military medical facility for treatment.
     Names of soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
     The incident is under investigation..

U.S. Airstrike Targets
Enemy Safe House

AR RAMADI, Iraq , Dec. 27, 2003 — Air Force F-16 fighters from the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron dropped two joint direct attack munitions bombs to destroy an abandoned two-story house known to be a launching pad for attacks against Coalition Forces. The house was used on six different occasions to attack Coalition Forces and is located three kilometers northwest of Khalidiyah. More

Radio

Television

Samarra Blast, Urbil Suicide Attack Kill U.S. Troops, Iraqis

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2003 — Separate incidents in Iraq today claimed the lives of U.S. soldiers and Iraqis.
     Three American soldiers were killed near Samarra by an improvised explosive device, and a number of Iraqis were killed or wounded in a suicide bombing on a government building in Urbil, according to coalition reports from Baghdad.
     The Urbil bombing targeted the front of the Ministry of the Interior building, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force 7, told reporters today during a news briefing. More     Briefing

Rumsfeld, Myers Laud Troops, Caution Terror Threat Remains

By Staff Sgt. Michelle L. Thomas, ANG / American Forces Press Service

Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers makes his opening statements during a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon Dec. 23. Both men commented on how pleased they were that Time magazine named the American armed forces the 2003 WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2003 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today lauded the accomplishments of those who willingly put their lives at risk so that all Americans can live in peace and freedom.
During a Pentagon briefing, Rumsfeld, along with Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, credited military men and women for the strides made during the past year in the global war on terror. More Briefing

Defense Dept. Stops Anthrax Shots, Studies Court Decision

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2003 — The Defense Department will stop anthrax vaccinations until the legal situation around a recent court decision is resolved, defense officials said.
Defense officials and lawyers with the Justice Department are examining a decision handed down by a federal judge in Washington Dec. 22 that ordered DoD to stop anthrax vaccinations for U.S. service members without their consent, Pentagon officials said Dec. 23. More Briefing

U.S. Troops Leave Pump Station With Memories & Friendships

Combined Joint Task Force 7

     AL JAZEERA, Iraq, Dec. 24, 2003 — Mohamed Sami sat rigid in his chair. He appeared restless, as though at any moment he would try to express all the thoughts in his mind.
      So he did.
     “I am very sad and very happy right now,” he said. “I do not want you to leave us. But I want to thank you, really, for everything you have done for us. What you have done for us, for our country, it will stay in our hearts forever. I want you to know that we will never forget you. More

U.S. 101st Airborne Div. Begins Renovating Mosul Central Bank

By U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas Day / Army News Service

     MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 23, 2003 — The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the Central Bank of Iraq began Dec. 22 to rebuild the Mosul Central Bank, left in ruins by looters after the fall of Saddam in March.
     Currently a burned-out cavern, the renovated bank is expected to be complete by early 2005.
     Iraq's central bank is divided into three branches, much like the American Federal Reserve. The other two branches will be centered in Baghdad and Basra, with the northern Iraq branch headquartered in Mosul. More

U.S. & Iraqi Doctors Gather in Tikrit to Examine Medical Care

By U.S. Army Sgt. Troy Chatwin / 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TIKRIT, Iraq – With an eye on getting the Iraqi medical community back on track, Iraqi and American military doctors gathered Dec. 9 to discuss local clinical projects as well as share healthcare information.
Held at the Tikrit Rehabilitation Hospital, the First Introductory Conference for the Salah Ad Din Health Directorate allowed health providers a forum with a focus on rebuilding Iraq’s healthcare system. More

Global War on Terrorism

. Heightened Security Not Tied to Saddam Hussein's Capture

. Bush, Blair Welcome Libya's Pledge to Dismantle Weapons

. 'Tremendous Strides' Made in Iraq, Afghanistan, Collins Says

On Iraq

. Learning Democracy is Iraq's Biggest Challenge, Bremer Says

. Iraqi Legal Profession Trains to Prosecute Regime Crimes

. Iraqi Volunteering Increases Following Capture of Saddam

Military News

. Military Blood Program Seeks Holiday Donors

. Myers Salutes U.S. Troops, Recaps Central Command Trip

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Send your 'Best Wishes' to the
troops waging the global war on terror.

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Employees Adopt Carrier,
Send Gifts to Sailors' Children

NORFOLK, Va., Dec. 24, 2003 (NNS) — Twenty-five employees of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management traveled from their headquarters in Washington to the hangar bay of USS Theodore Roosevelt recently to deliver roughly 1,300 toys to children of sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier. Story

Profile

U.S. Army
Maj. John E. Padgett

BAGHDAD, Iraq — During the last 10 years, physicians in Iraq have struggled for updated medical information, said Maj. John E. Padgett, the officer in charge of the public health team with the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit based in Abilene, Texas, who now edits the “Iraqi Journal of Medicine.” More

More Profiles

	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

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

“The holidays are upon us, and that certainly is a time to give thanks for our country's many blessings. And there's no greater blessing than the courage of the young men and women who wear our country's uniform. They are all volunteers. They willingly put their lives at risk so that all Americans can live in peace and freedom.”

Press Briefing, Dec. 23, 2003

Honoring the Fallen

Maine Students Honor 9/11
Victims, Iraqi Freedom Pilots

Fifth and sixth-grade students from Margaret Chase Smith School in Skowhegan, Maine, took a 15-hour bus trip Dec. 16, 2003, to the Washington area. The trip was a part of their

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 18, 2003 — It all started with a 6th-grade teacher Margaret Chase Smith School in Skowhegan, Maine, who thought of a way, with his students, to honor victims of Sept. 11, 2001, an idea that has grown and recently brought some of his students to the Washington area. Story

. Maps of Afghanistan

In Iraq

Ohio Reservists Take
Care of the Dirty Work

LOGISTICS SUPPLY AREA ANACONDA, Iraq, Dec. 22, 2003 — The old adage ‘An army travels on its stomach’ has been expanded in recent time to include a hot shower and a clean uniform.
Bearing this in mind, the members of 1001st Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit based in Chillicothe, Ohio, have been busy doing the dirty work keeping solders assigned to Logistics Supply Area Anaconda clean and tailored. More

'On The Ground' Archive