Home Page - DefendAmerica 
[NOTE: Because of increased web traffic, you may experience delays.  Please be patient.]
Feb 17, 2004
space
Homeland Security Advisory System
Homeland Security Advisory System
space
Support For Our Troops
space
DoD Video Broadcast
space
Saddam's Capture - A Video from Golf Troops' Perspective
Skip Navigation
spaceFirstGov
spaceEPA
spaceFAA
spaceFBI
spaceFEMA
spaceHomeland Security
spaceJustice Department
spaceState Department
spaceTreasury Department
spaceWhite House
spaceWar on Terror Sites
space
spaceDefenseLINK
spaceArmy
spaceNavy
spaceAir Force
spaceMarines
spaceCoast Guard
spaceReserve Affairs
spaceArmy Reserve
spaceNavy Reserve
spaceAir Force Reserve
spaceMarine Reserve
spaceCoast Guard Reserve
spaceNational Guard
spaceAir National Guard
spaceArmy National Guard
spaceESGR
spaceMerchant Marines
space
spaceCivil Air Patrol
spaceCoast Guard Auxiliary
spaceFBI
space
spaceDefense Department
spaceState Department
spaceWhite House
 
Photo, caption below.
space
LIFE SAVER — Members of B Battery, 1st Battalion 94th Field Artillery 1st Armored Division present an reward to an Iraqi Facility Protection Service member for reporting an improvised explosive device to coalition forces in northeast Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2004. The incentive program is designed to help rid the streets of these deadly weapons. Coalition soldiers destroyed the device without injury or damage. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Rucker
space
Some Iraqi Cities Not Ready
For Local Control, Kimmitt Says
Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2004 – Places in Iraq like Fallujah are not ready for local control, and U.S.-led coalition forces will not leave an area that's not secure, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said today during a briefing in Baghdad.
     Fallujah is where gunmen conducted a well-organized guerrilla-style attack on the local jail Feb. 14, killing about 25 people, mostly police, and wounding more than 30. The attackers freed dozens of prisoners at the police station.
     "There's no timeline for local control," said Kimmitt, deputy director of operations, Combined Joint Task Force 7. More
Dangerous Detainees Important To Intell. Effort, Rumsfeld Says
Linda D. Kozaryn / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2004 – The United States is a nation at war, and detaining enemy combatants is a part of that war, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Feb. 13 in Miami.
      Detaining dangerous enemy combatants prevents their return to the fight and provides intelligence to help prevent future terrorist acts, the secretary told members of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Those at Guantanamo Bay, he said, include senior al Qaeda and Taliban operatives, as well as rank- and-file soldiers who fought against the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan. More
Terrorists Know Time Running Out as Iraqi Sovereignty Nears
Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2004 - As the June 30 turnover of sovereignty in Iraq to the Iraqi people approaches, terrorists trying to start a civil war in the country know their window of opportunity is closing, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator said today.
     Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III told "ABC News This Week" host George Stephanopoulos the 17-page letter written by fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi seeking help from top al Qaeda leaders shows Zarqawi knows the terrorists are failing and that their time is running out. More
space
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
space
All Soldiers To Wear
U.S. Flag Insignia
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2004 (Army News Service) — All soldiers can now wear the U.S. flag insignia on the right shoulder of their utility uniform, as a continued reminder that the Army is engaged in a war at home and abroad.
     “The flag has been around for years to identify deploying troops. Now based on the Army’s joint expeditionary mindset, the flag represents our commitment to fight the war on terror for the foreseeable future,” said Sgt. Maj. Walter Morales, the uniform policy chief for G1. More
Commander Visits 'Old Guard'
Troops in Horn of Africa
     CAMP LEMONIER, Dijoubti, Feb. 17, 2004 — The regimental commander of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” visited the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa this week to meet with Old Guard soldiers deployed here.
     Col. Chuck Taylor toured the region with the Regimental Command Sergeant Major Harry Wimbrough and regimental chaplain Maj. Raymond Robinson inspecting quality-of-life and getting a chance to view missions of Bravo Company. More
Marine Sgt. Maj. Visits
Georgia Train and Equip Troops
     KRTSANISI, Georgia, Feb. 16, 2004 — Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, 15th Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps, visited the Marines, soldiers and sailors of Task Force Georgia Train and Equip Program recently.
     Estrada toured the American and Georgian facilities at Krtsanisi 9/11 training area as well as the Kodjori training area on his one-day visit. He also dined and spoke with the task force Marines, soldiers and sailors. Estrada discussed the upcoming deployments to Iraq and various troop rotations. More
Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualty
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of a soldier supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
     Sgt. Nicholes D. Golding, 24, of Addison, Maine, died Feb. 13 in Ghanzni, Afghanistan, as a result of an AT-46 (anti-tank) mine explosion. Golding was assigned to Company C, 2/87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. The incident is under investigation.
space
space
Radio
space
space
Air Force Radio
AFRTS - Radio
Soldiers Radio
space
space
Television
space
space
Air Force TV
AFRTS - TV
Navy-Marines TV
Soldiers Radio&TV
 
Fallen Warriors
 
Remembering Those Who Perished  At the Pentagon
 
Send E-Mail to Troops at AnyServiceMember.
 
Link to Profiles.
 
Military Systems & Equipment.
 
Humanitarian Aid
 
Backgrounders
 
Subscribe to DefendAmerica Email News.
 
Feedback.
Photo Essay -
banner image
Military Chiefs on Capitol Hill 9 More Photos
Photo, caption below.
Adm. Vern Clark, chief of Naval Operations, Gordon R. England, secretary of the Navy, and Gen. Michael W. Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, listen to questions by members of the House Armed Services Committee concerning the Fiscal Year 2005 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for the Department of the Navy. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Johnny Bivera     Photo Essay Archive
space
Terrorists Must Lose Race
For Weapons of Mass Murder
Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2004 — When suicidal terrorists used commercial airliners as bombs on Sept. 11, 2001, it raised the prospect of even worse dangers: terrorists armed with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, President Bush said in his weekly radio address today.
     "The possibility of secret and sudden attack with weapons of mass destruction is the greatest threat before humanity today," he emphasized.
     The president said America is confronting this danger with open eyes and unbending purpose. More
Wolfowitz to Troops: Afghan,
Iraq Efforts Made World Safer
By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004 - Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz hosted an early Valentine's Day lunch today to thank soldiers wounded in the war on terror for their service and to assure them that America holds a special place in its heart for them. "We in the Defense Department truly love you and the country loves you," Wolfowitz said.
     "You are very special guests, and each one of you is an American hero," Wolfowitz told the soldiers, all patients at nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "You've been to war, you've faced its demands with courage and you've borne its wounds." Story
Panel to Review Detainees Housed at Guantanamo Bay
By K.L. Vantran / American Forces Press Service
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004 - Suspected terrorists held at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will have the opportunity to appear before an administrative review panel, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee operations said here today.
     The panel will review each detainee's case annually to determine if that detainee continues to pose a threat to the United States, said Paul Butler. More      Transcript
Navy Hospital ‘Devil Docs’ Deploy
By Loren Barnes / Naval Hospital Jacksonville Public Affairs
     JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 13, 2004 (NNS) Tears, prayers, well-wishes, hugs and kisses sent 24 Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Branch Medical Clinic personnel on their way as they boarded a bus in the early morning of Feb. 8, bound for deployment to the Middle East.
     Capt. John Sentell, commanding officer, reminded the deploying personnel that Naval Medicine has made tremendous strides in battlefield medicine in recent years, and that these advances have paid off in Iraq. More
Marine Unit Prepares to Deploy
By U.S. Marine Cpl. Kat Johnson
     MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, Feb. 13, 2004 — An order from President Bush to aid in the fight against global terrorism is a reason the Marines of Marine Wing Support Squadron 273 are finding themselves heading to another deployment to the Middle East.
     This month, over 650 Marines from the squadron, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, will be packing and heading out for six months to support combat operations and air strikes over Iraq. More
'Sweathogs' Bid Farewell Before Iraq Deployment
space
Inside Iraq - banner image
‘Bulldog’ Brigade Renovates Abu-Gharib Schools
Soldiers from the Platoon Leaders Basic Course graduated Feb. 9 in Al Qayyarah. The Iraqi soldiers took part in two weeks of intensive leadership training. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jeremy Heckler     BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2004 Slowly but surely, changes are being made in Abu-Gharib.
     Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion 70th Armor Regiment and the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, a reserve unit from Abilene, Texas assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, worked to renovate and repair several schools in the Abu-Gharib section of Baghdad. More
space
space
space
More News - banner image
War on Terrorism
U.S. Troops Work Closely with Iraqi Police and Security Forces
Rumsfeld Staunchly Defends Preemption to European Officials
Croatian PM Voices Support for U.S. Policy of Preemption
Iraq
Bomb Kills 2 Soldiers; Coalition Campaign Focuses on Zarqawi
Top U.S. Commanders Escape Injury in Iraq Convoy Attack
Coalition Captures Iraqi Fugitive
Military News
Air Force 'Patriot Express' Flights Diverted to Support Deployments
Some Reservists Eligible For New Health Benefits
Nat'l Guard Unit's Deployment 'Different' Than Active, Reserve
. Myers Praises Guard Troops, Families for Service, Sacrifice
. Defense Leaders Urge Proper Funding to Face Terror Threats
. DoD Won't Seek More Funding For Terror War Until January
. National Guard, Reserve Update
space
America Pays Tribute to the Troops
space
Racing Team to Salute
Guard, Reserve Employers
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004 - A "dream team" of all-stars will race this year in NASCAR Busch Series salute to supportive employers of National Guardsmen and reservists.
     The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and Richard Childress Racing have teamed up for the effort. More
space
starSign an On-line Thank You Note
space
space
space
space
Transformation
Air Force Secretary Reveals
Future Systems at Symposium
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004, AFN -- Air Force Secretary James G. Roche laid out plans to improve special operations, close-air support and battlefield management systems and recommended a trio of new battle management aircraft Feb. 12 at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air Warfare Symposium in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. More
Air Force Chief Seeks
Warfighting Improvements
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004, AFN -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper outlined new ways to make 21st century airmen faster, more efficient warfighters. Speaking at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 12, Jumper stressed the importance of exercising air and ground forces together in ways that ensure Army leaders know what air and space power can do for them. More
'Transformation Flight Plan' Provides Roadmap to Future
     WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2004, AFN -- Air Staff officials have put the finishing touches on the “Transformation Flight Plan,” which spells out the future direction of the Air Force.The TFP, a 176-page document, can be accessed through a link on the Air Force’s Internet home page at www.af.mil or on the office of force transformation Web site at www.oft.osd.mil. More
Afghanistan Update
space
More Afghanistan Update Details
Maps of Afghanistan 
space
space
space
Defense Leaders Speak
space

President George W. Bush

"On September the 11th, 2001, America and the world saw the great harm that terrorists could inflict upon our country, armed with box cutters, mace and 19 airline tickets....No one can now doubt the determination of America to oppose and to end these threats to our security."
space
Weekly Radio Address, Feb. 14, 2004
space
Defense Views
Quotes by U.S. defense leaders
space
space
Profile
U.S. Marine Corps
Master Sgt. Alexander Arrieta
Poised for action, Marine Master Sgt. Arrieta practices the fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger control as he aims in down range for a 25-yard slow fire relay. U.S. Army photo by Cpl Isaac Pacheco     MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga. —"Ready on the right?" "Ready on the left?" "All clear, ready on the firing line!" A hail of gunfire explodes from pistols held by members of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany's shooting team. More
More Profiles
space
space
On the Ground
space
space
In Iraq
space
space
Camp Falcon Weather Team
Helps Put Steel on Target
space
space
Spc. Kate Waters meteorological team crewmember, assigned to the 1st Armored Division Artillery Combat Team, prepares a weather balloon during a recent meteorological team mission to gather weather data for various field artillery positions around Baghdad. U.S. Army photo    BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2004 — For three soldiers, having one of the Army's smallest military occupational skills, and to some, probably the most unknown job supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, can be frustrating and rewarding at the same time.
     Whether it's the early-morning hours or working by only feel and touch in the late hours of Task Force 1st Armored Division’s muddy forward operating base of Camp Falcon, the three-soldier meteorological team is on call 24-hours a day to provide vital weather data. More
space
space
Soldiers 'Register' Mortars
To Ensure Accurate Aim
space
space
Spc. Kate Waters meteorological team crewmember, assigned to the 1st Armored Division Artillery Combat Team, prepares a weather balloon during a recent meteorological team mission to gather weather data for various field artillery positions around Baghdad. U.S. Army photo    BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2004 — Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, mortar section registered, or "zeroed," their weapons system recently in southern Baghdad, in a process designed to detect the slight variations of each weapon when aimed and fired at the target.
     "Our goal is to put rounds on the target," said Sgt. 1st Class David Yomes, 32, a mortar section sergeant from Tacoma, Wash. More
space
space
space
space
'On The Ground' Archive
space
space
space
space

Ballistic Missile Defense | Defense Department Overview | Joint Chiefs of Staff
CENTCOM | EUCOM | JFCOM | NORAD | NORTHCOM | PACOM | SOCOM | STRATCOM | SOUTHCOM | TRANSCOM
Maps | Recruiting | Today's Military | DoDBusOpps
Home | Privacy & Security | Disclaimer | About Us | Contact Us | Archive | Search