DefendAmerica 02/11/2004

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Feb 11, 2004

Saddam's Capture - A Video from Golf Troops' Perspective

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SURVIVAL TRAINING — Soldiers from the 210th Aviation Regiment "Knighthawks" conduct Survival Evasion Resistance Escape training with a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in the mountains surrounding Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2004. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Dave S. Thompson.

Intell Successes and Failures
Provide Lessons for the Future

By Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2004 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters today the challenge at hand is for the United States and its allies to determine the best way to confront increasingly lethal threats when faced with imperfect knowledge.
     "That's something that this country and other countries and societies are going to have to deal with," he said.
     Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that intelligence is "not a perfect art," but said the nation’s policy makers can learn much from both intelligence successes and failures. Story

Letter Seeks Bin Laden's Help
In Derailing Coalition Progress

By John D. Banusiewicz /American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2004 — A 17-page letter seized in the capture of an al Qaeda courier last month reveals an enemy "terrified" that Iraq is on the road to freedom and self-government, a coalition military official said at a Baghdad news conference today.
Analysts have concluded the letter was written by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- a suspect in numerous terrorist bombings in Iraq and long believed to have al Qaeda ties – and was intended for the terror organization's top leadership, perhaps even for Osama bin Laden himself. The letter, coalition officials have said, seeks al Qaeda's help in instigating ethnic violence to derail progress toward a free and stable Iraq. More

Coalition Captures Iraqi Fugitive

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2004 — Another fugitive featured in the deck of 55 playing cards signifying the "most wanted" members of Saddam Hussein's regime is in coalition custody. Muhsin Khadr al-Khafaji was captured Feb. 7, Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials announced today.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the task force's deputy operations director, said Khafaji is being held "at a safe location" and is in good health. He was No. 48 on the "most wanted" list and served Saddam's Baath Party as a regional commander and as party chairman for the Qadisiyah district. More Briefing Transcript

Last 'Screaming Eagle' Convoy
Leaves Iraq, I Corps Sets Flag

By U.S. Army Pfc. Thomas Day and Sgt. Jeremy Heckler

Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of Task Force Olympia, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick Pacheco, unfurl the colors of 1st Corps during a ceremony held at the palace headquarters in Mosul Feb. 5. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jesse Artis

NAVISTAR, Kuwait, Feb. 10, 2004 — The last 101st Airborne Division convoy rolled across the Iraqi border just before 5 a.m. Kuwaiti time this morning, leaving behind a mission that spanned almost a year. 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.

. White House Fact Sheet: Progress in Iraq

. Iraq Update . Maps of Iraq

. Iraq's 55 Most Wanted

. Mass Graves

Troops Deter Ambush,
Kill 10 Insurgents

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq, Feb. 10, 2004 — Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment killed 10 armed men who appeared to be establishing an ambush position north of Muqdadiyah on Feb. 9 after they failed to respond to the soldiers' orders, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials. More

Bolling Cub Scouts Donate
Gifts to Wounded Troops

U.S. Air force Col. Dan Koslov visits a local Cub Scout pack he donated money to. The Scouts used their holiday party savings to buy donations for injured servicemembers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Whittington

BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. Feb. 9, 2004 — “Two, four, six, eight. Who do we appreciate? Colonel Koslov!” exclaimed a group of excited Bolling Cub Scouts from Den 2, Pack 343. That was the Scouts’ response when Col. Dan Koslov returned twofold their gift of selflessness at their Feb. 2 meeting. More

Send your Valentines Day message to the troops waging war on terrorism.

As a deployed soldier in Baghdad, Iraq, I thank all of you for your support. If it was not for you we would not be able to do what we do. Our job is nothing out of the ordinary for us. We do what we have to because of you. Thank You. You all are the true heroes.
Staff Sgt. Paul B. Cornett

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DoD Identifies Army Casualties

     WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2004 — The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers in Iraq who were supporting Operation Iraq Freedom.
     Two soldiers died in Sinjar, Iraq, Feb. 9 when a collection of unexploded ordnance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point. Killed in the incident were Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins, 27 of Schenectady, N.Y., and Sgt. Elijah Tai Wah Wong, 42, of Mesa, Ariz. Robbins was assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Fort Lewis, Wash. Wong was assigned to the 363rd Explosive Ordnance Company, Army National Guard, Casa Grande, Ariz.
     Defense officials also announced the recovery of remains of Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, 29, of Washington. Bunda was originally listed as "Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown" when his boat capsized during a river patrol on the Tigris River on Jan. 25. His remains were recovered today. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Radio

Television

Weapons Detonation 6 More Photos

Explosions rock Al Fathah Air Field in Iraq, as Army engineers and Air Force explosive ordnance disposal personnel detonate a weapons cache, Feb. 5, 2004. An estimated 2 million pounds of explosives were left at the air field by the former Saddam Hussein regime, making the weapons cache at Al Fathah the largest uncovered by the coalition. The cache is being destroyed at an average of 100,000 pounds per day. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe Photo Essay Archive

Unit Preps for Inbound Marines

By Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon/ 1st Force Service Support Group

Pfc. Vince O. Mata and Cpl. Aaron G. Simpson, Marine reservists with the 3rd Civil Affairs Group based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., stand guard in a vehicle staging area at Camp Victory in the western Kuwaiti desert Feb. 10, 2004. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon

CAMP VICTORY, Kuwait, Feb. 10, 2004 — Lead elements of the Camp Pendleton-based I Marine Expeditionary Force currently are on the ground in Kuwait and Iraq paving the way for the expected 25,000 Marines headed back to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the coming months.
The bulk of the troops--more than 1,000 as of Feb. 10, 2004, with numbers rising daily--belong to the 1st Force Service Support Group, hurriedly offloading and staging vehicles and gear and laying logistical plans for the next chapter of the Marines' Iraq legacy. More

USS Wasp Strike Group Brings
New Capabilities to Terror War

Navy News Service

The USS Wasp will depart Norfolk, Va., Feb. 17 in support of the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo

NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 10, 2004-- Roughly 6,300 sailors and marines in the USS Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group 2 will depart Feb. 17 as they make their maiden deployment as an expeditionary strike group in support of the war on terrorism.
The expeditionary strike group concept is centered on the proven flexibility and combat power of a combined Amphibious Readiness Group and Marine Expeditionary Unit. The expeditionary strike group adds the robust strike, anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-subsurface capabilities of two cruisers, a destroyer, and an attack submarine. These combined capabilities give the combat commander a wider variety of options and enables independent operations in more dynamic environments. More

Coalition Forces Approve
Roadway Cleanup Funds

AR RAMADI, Iraq, Feb. 8 — Coalition forces Feb. 7 approved $20,000 for a rubble removal project along Highway 1, between Khalidiyah and Ar Ramadi, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials in Baghdad.
Approximately 40 Iraqis will be employed removing trash and debris within 100 meters of both sides of the road. Officals said cleaning the highway will do more than improve the landscape; it will also reduce the threat of improvised explosive device attacks against commuters. More

Mannheim-Based Reserve Unit
Returns Home from Iraq

SCHWETZINGEN, Germany, Feb. 8, 2004 - After serving more than a year on active duty supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Army Reserve's 280 th Rear Operations Center based in Mannheim, Germany has returned home and demobilized in a ceremony held yesterday. Soldiers will be taking leave until their official demobilization later this month.
"The 7 th Army Reserve Command family and your nation are proud of what you have done and glad that you are all safely home," said Brig. Gen. Richard M. Tabor, commander of the 7 th Army Reserve Command at the unit's welcome home ceremony. "You epitomize all the best traits of our nation's citizen soldiers throughout history." The command is the 280 th 's higher headquarters. More

Guardsmen Receive Combat Awards

By U.S. Army Spc. Kristopher Joseph / V Corps Public Affairs

U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas Keith Ales, command sergeant major for the Mississippi National Guard's 223rd Combat Engineer Battalion (Heavy), prepares to be pinned with the Bronze Star by Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general of Task Force Ironhorse, Feb. 5, 2004, in Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey

CAMP SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2004 — Members of a Mississippi National Guard unit received recognition Feb. 5 from the 4th Infantry Division for their contributions made during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Thirty-one members of the 223rd Combat Engineer Battalion (Heavy) were awarded the Bronze Star for individual accomplishments by Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse. In addition, four soldiers from the battalion were presented with Purple Hearts for injuries sustained as a result of direct enemy actions. More

War on Terrorism

. Rumsfeld Staunchly Defends Preemption to European Officials

. Croatian PM Voices Support for U.S. Policy of Preemption

. Army Meeting Requirements for 'Up-armored' Humvees in Iraq

Iraq

. Letter Shows Terrorists' 'Desperation' In Iraq

. Bush Defends Iraq Decision, Says Saddam Threatened U.S.

. Rumsfeld, Conference Attendees Discuss Security Improvements

Military News

. Army Changes Enlistment Lengths to Support Stabilization

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Coalition Forces Uncover Weapons in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Feb . 11, 2004 — Coalition forces found four weapons caches in recent days: one on Feb. 9 northeast of Gardez and another west of Kandahar , and two Feb. 10 in the vicinity of Khowst and north of Qalat , according to Combined Joint Task Force-Afghanistan officials.
Although this is the winter season, officials said coalition forces have foundand been directed to an increasing number of caches and have preventing these weapons and ammunitions from being used against the Afghan people. More

Army Reserve Bridge Unit
Readies to Return Home

CAMP ANACONDA, IRAQ — The 459th Multi Role Bridge Company has lived up to its’ "multi role" name during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From the fight north to Baghdad with the Marines, to the thousands convoy operations miles since then, from Nasiriyah to Al Kut -- this Army Reserve unit has been at the forefront.
Some of these actions included constructing bridges under fire in southeast Baghdad, conducting weapon searches on the banks of the Nahr Diayla River, building an Iraqi float bridge, transporting Iraqi weapons and ammunition for Task Force Bullet, completing two medium-girder bridge missions, collecting and destroying Iraqi missiles, providing security for the task force and pulling hundreds of hours of guard duty. More

Hawaii-Based Soldiers
Stage in Kuwait

CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait — Halfway around the world from their duty stations in Hawaii, soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and 45th Corps Support Group (Forward) are preparing to cross the border into Iraq.
But before they begin their Operation Iraqi Freedom II rotation, they come here to Camp Virginia to inprocess and train up for the long convoy into Iraq. The camp is the point where coalition troops stage and train for forthcoming operations inside Iraq or for redeployment from Operation Iraqi Freedom. More

Soldiers Redeploy To Better Digs

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2004 — More than $65 million is being spent on improving single soldiers' barracks while they are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., who served in Iraq, came home to freshly painted barracks, properly working lighting and plumbing fixtures and new tiles or re-carpeted floors, said Lt. Col. Wesley Anderson, the director of Public Works at Fort Riley. More

More Afghanistan Update Details

. Maps of Afghanistan

Defense Leaders Speak

Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is potentially the greatest threat to our security and the most frightening scenario is one in which terrorist groups acquire weapons of mass destruction."

Remarks during briefing, quoting European Union Security Strategy Paper, Feb. 10, 2004

Defense Views
Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Profile

U.S. Marine Corps
Cpl. Lisa C. White

Marine Cpl. Lisa C. White holds up 13 inches of her own hair, which she donated to the Locks of Love charity. Her hair will be used to make wigs for children who have lost their hair from skin diseases or chemotherapy. Photo courtesy of Cpl. Lisa White

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — A corporal with Marine Aircraft Group 24 took the simple task of changing her appearance to a whole new level.
Though getting a hair cut is a pretty routine activity, this nuclear, biological and chemical defense specialist decided to put a little more thought behind her actions. Story

More Profiles

In Iraq

Training Scenarios
Keep Pilots Sharp

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Miguel Gastellum, a pilot with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, performs a pre-flight check on his Black Hawk helicopter, Feb. 1, 2004. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Melissa Walther

CAMP SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq – Hovering and banking, swooping and climbing, touching down for just a moment before leaping into the sky once again, the two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters appeared to be involved in dance over the hilly terrain outside of Camp Speicher. More

Soldiers Surprise Students
With School Supplies

Students in the Al-Jasmine Primary School in the Mustansyria neighborhood show off donated school supplies. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jean-Pierre Brown

Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2004 — As on any day in Baghdad, the sun rose on the students of the Al-Jasmine primary school in the Mustansyria neighborhood. But on this bright day, the students were in for a big surprise. More

'On The Ground' Archive