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Jan 30, 2004
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Photo, caption below.
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STANDING GUARD — U.S. Army Spc. John Orazietti from the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade, stands guard on a the roof top of the mayor's office in Ar Ramadia, Iraq, Jan. 24, 2004. The unit works with local government officals to help stablize and rebuild the city's infrastructure. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Roberts
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Explosive Device Hits Convoy
Transporting Iraqi Detainees
By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — One detainee was killed and 11 others were injured Jan. 29 when an improvised explosive device blew up near a coalition convoy transporting captured suspects near Mukadiyah, a coalition official said today at a Baghdad news conference.
     The injured detainees were taken to a battalion aid station, and all were in stable condition, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7. More
Kimmitt: Foreign Terrorists Use Iraqis to ‘Achieve Their Aims’
By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — Terror groups from other countries are going out of their way to use Iraqi citizens in pursuing their objectives, a coalition military official said at a Baghdad news conference today.
     "They have demonstrated time after time that the foreign terrorists will fight to the last Iraqi to achieve their aims here in Iraq," said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7. More
Experience Shows Anthrax,
Smallpox Immunizations Safe
By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — The military's anthrax and smallpox immunizations are safe to administer to service members, a senior military medical officer told 2004 Tricare conference attendees here Jan. 28.
     "The vaccination programs we operate are designed to keep troops healthy, to help troops get back home safely," said Army Col. John D. Grabenstein, deputy director of clinical operations for the Military Vaccine Agency. More
Sanchez: al Qaeda Seeking
To Establish Foothold In Iraq
By U.S.Army Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample / American Forces Press Service
      WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2004 — Last week's capture of Hassan Ghul along the Iran-Iraq border proves al Qaeda terrorists actively are seeking a foothold in Iraq "to continue their murderous campaigns," the commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7 said in Baghdad today.
     "For months I've been saying that al Qaeda's fingerprints have been here in Iraq," Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told reporters during a briefing. More    Briefing
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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.
White House Fact Sheet: Progress in Iraq
Iraq Update  . Maps of Iraq
Iraq's 55 Most Wanted
Saddam's Iraq - Reign of Terror
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Defense Dept. Seeking
Employer Support Nominations
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — The Defense Department will begin accepting nominations Feb. 1 for the 2004 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which recognizes significant contributions and sacrifices made by employers of National Guard and Reserve members. More
Radio Show to Address
Children's Deployment Issues
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — Parents of very young children affected by military deployments may find help by listening to a special radio interview Feb. 4.
     Host Bobbi Conner of the weekly national radio program "The Parent's Home Journal," is scheduled to interview Lynette Kimes, a mother and military spouse, about coping strategies for children affected by deployment. More
NORAD, U.S. Northern
Command Ready for Super Bowl
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — On Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 1, the U.S. military will be hard at work protecting players and fans alike.
     The North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command are taking appropriate actions to deter and defeat any possible threats against Sunday's game and festivities, according to Mike Perini, both commands' director of public affairs. More
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America Pays Tribute to the Troops
Naples Girl Scouts, Brownies
Send Troops a Taste of Home
     NAPLES, Italy, Jan. 30, 2004 — The Naples area Girl Scouts and Brownies have organized a program that gives the community the opportunity to send a taste of home to deployed troops.
     Through the Treats to Troops Program, people can “sponsor” a box or several boxes of Girl Scout cookies to be sent to troops serving around the world. Story
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Send your 'Best Wishes' to the
troops waging the global war on terror.

"Thank you for what you are doing for us. We don't realize what you go through. Keep up the good work. You are well appreciated."

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Photo Essay - banner image
Back to School in Kirkuk More Photo Essays
Photo, caption below.
A member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade tours a school with an Iraqi boy in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2004. The school will be reopening soon thanks to the efforts of the coalition and local contractors. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe 6 More Photos
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Inside Iraq - banner image

New Police Officers Join
Ranks of Iraqis Protecting Iraq

     BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 30, 2004 — Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III today offered his congratulations to the nearly 500 new police officers who will soon be on the streets of Iraq, protecting the Iraqi people as part of the Iraqi Police Service, according Coalition Provision Authority officials.
     Following an eight-week training program at the Jordan International Police Training Center, 466 newly-hired officers graduated, becoming the first class to graduate from the training center. More

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‘Ready First’ Combat Team Delivers
Supplies to Mustansyria School

     BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 29, 2004 — As on any day in Baghdad, the sun rose on the students of the Al-Jasmine primary school located in the neighborhood of Mustansyria. But on this bright day, the students were in for a big surprise.
     As the children were standing quietly in the back yard of the school preparing for the last day of examinations, the U.S. Army arrived with loads of school supplies for the children of Al-Jasmine. More

Labor Secretary Chao Inaugurates Baghdad Career Center
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Incirlik Squadron Prepares
To Support Troop Rotations

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Dennis Valdez, a 728th Air Mobility Squadron aerial port flight passenger specialist, guides a cargo loading vehicle toward a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Thompson      INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey, Jan. 30, 2004 — People from the 728th Air Mobility Squadron aerial port flight have a hand in just about every aircraft that transits Incirlik Air Base, whether it's supporting Operation Enduring Freedom or carrying passengers home after a holiday in the states. More

Commands Prepare for 'Daunting' Logistics Feat

     ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 29, 2004 — In the next three months, the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command will work in concert with the U.S. Transportation Command, planning and implementing the historic logistical feat of rotating American forces. More

Transportation Command To Move 300,000 Troops

     SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Jan. 27, 2004 — The U.S. Transportation Command's basic mission is moving our nation's military might wherever and whenever required. By early summer, U.S. Transportation Command will complete the movement of more than 300,000 troops and 1 million tons of cargo. Story

New Precision Approach Radar Guides Pilots into Incirlik Air Base
Deploying Marine Reservists Hone Combat Skills
By Marine Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere / 1st Force Service Support Group
     MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Jan. 29, 2004 — Last Monday morning, they may have been hanging around the office sipping on Starbucks. Now, a week later, a group of Iraq-bound Marine reservists are sucking air and sniffing tear gas in hopes that a little sweat now will save blood later. Before joining the 1st Force Service Support Group on their way to Iraq, about 120 Marine reservists kicked off a weeklong training regimen Jan. 26, 2004, designed to bolster their combat skills. Story
Marines Train to Recognize, Survive Booby Traps
By Marine Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes
     MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Jan. 28, 2004 — With thousands of Marines preparing to deploy to Iraq, training to meet the challenges of a hostile environment is a high priority. To combat this threat, Marines from The II Marine Expeditionary Force participated in a class designed to teach them how to recognize, deal with and most importantly – survive – an encounter with improvised explosive devices. Story
Kay Supports Coalition Actions, Says Iraq May Have Been ‘More Dangerous’ Than Believed
By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2004 — The man who spent eight months leading the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq told senators here Jan. 28 that although no such weapons have been found, he believes Iraq may have been "even more dangerous than we thought" before Saddam Hussein was removed from power. David Kay, who stepped down last week as head of the Iraq Survey Group, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee. More
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More News - banner image
War on Terrorism
Turkish Prime Minister Thanks Bush for Anti-Terror Support
. ‘Today’s Generation’ Faces New Kind of War, Cheney Says
. 'No Doubt' Terrorists Would Use WMD If Given Opportunity
. Enemy 'Still Lurks' Out There, Nation Must Remain Vigiliant 
Iraq
Marines Ready for Another Iraqi Endeavor
Thousands Gather, Pledge to Support New Iraq
Three Airborne Div. Soldiers Missing Following Accidents
101st Brigade Transfers Authority to Strykers
Military News
Army Restructure: Temporary Measure To Add 30,000 Troops
Myers: Reserve Components Vital to Winning War on Terror
Defense Officials Outline Iraq Rotation Plans to Congress
. National Guard, Reserve Update
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Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
Iraq Update Afghanistan Update
Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties
     WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today it has changed the status of Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Dorff, 32, of Minnesota from duty status whereabouts unknown to killed in action.
     Dorff’s helicopter went down in the Tigris River during a search on Jan. 25 after four soldiers’ watercraft capsized. On Jan. 29, his remains were recovered. Dorff was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation (Fort Drum); however, in support of mission requirements, he was attached to the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
     The incident is under investigation.
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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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Gen. Richard B. Myers
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

"Our reservists and all our armed forces are meeting the challenge that these global terrorists represent with steel in their spines against adversaries, and hands outstretched in friendship to our friends and allies. Let there be no doubt that we are winning this war. It's going to take us a while...but the fact is we're winning this war."
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Remarks to Reserve Officers Association,
Jan. 28, 2004
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Profile
U.S. Air Force
Capt. James Dykas
U.S. Air Force Capt. James Dykas. Courtesy photo      EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — If you ask Blake Henderson, a young boy from nearby Niceville, to tell you who Air Force Capt. James Dykas is he will most likely reply, “my pilot,” with a look of ownership and pride. But is was not until recently that the two met.
      When Blake was born four years ago, he underwent heart surgery for congenital defects. Last year, he and his grandparents were trying to overcome Blake’s latest battle – lung disease. More
More Profiles
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Afghanistan Update
Maps of Afghanistan 
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On the Ground
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In Uzbekistan
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Michigan, Georgia Reservists
Help Maintain Unit Readiness
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Spc. Jason Parham (left) and Spc. Shanita Young, 1015th Maintenance Co. repair an engine on a HMMV. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Johnny A. Thompson     KARSHI-KHANABAD, Uzbekistan — Soldiers of Camp Stronghold Freedom’s Logistics Task Force 406th Battalion, a Reserve unit from Ann Arbor, Mich., and 1015th Maintenance Company, a Reserve unit Fort Gilliam, Ga., are a vital part of the U.S. and coalition forces mission in this part of the world, keeping things rolling – literally.
     “Our mission is to support all the units on Camp Stronghold Freedom with general service, repair and parts ordering,” said Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Warren. More
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In Kuwait
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Pa. Guard Soldiers
Wear Many Hats
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     CAMP WOLVERINE, Kuwait, Jan. 29, 2004 — If the soldiers of the 28th Personnel Services Battalion wore a different hat for every task they manage, they would easily have a dozen of them.
     The Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., unit arrived in theater April 12 last year and immediately went into action, first setting up and operating a joint military mail terminal to process the deluge of mail for troops recently arrived for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Story
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In Iraq
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Army Controllers Keep
Aircraft Flying Safely
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     CAMP SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq — With military flights departing or landing day and night, in all kinds of weather, through all kinds of weather conditions, it falls to air traffic controllers to coordinate their movements so air collisions or accidents on the ground don't occur.
     The responsibility for controlling traffic in the air over Task Force Ironhorse belongs to F Company 1st Battalion 58 th Aviation, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. More
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'On The Ground' Archive
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