DefendAmerica - Home Page 02/20/2004

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Feb 20, 2004

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

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STEPPING UP AIRLIFT SUPPORT — Strategic airlift directorate officials at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., are at the center of an ongoing effort to step up aircraft and parts production to support Air Mobility Command during the largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II. The effort is scheduled to last several months. U.S. Air Force photo by Sue Sapp

Troop Rotations in Full Swing; Patrols, Searches Continue

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

Lawrence Di Rita, principal depty assistant secretary of defense Public Affairs, responds to a reporter's question during a Pentagon press briefing, Feb. 19, 2004. Di Rita is accompanied by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, deputy director for operations, J-3, Joint Staff. Defense Dept. photo by Helene C. Stikkel

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — The rotation of troops into and out of Iraq is in full swing, DoD officials said today.
More than 40,000 troops scheduled to deploy to Iraq have moved into theater, and 35,000 of those set to come home already have departed, said Army Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, a Joint Staff spokesman. The general and Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita fielded questions during a press conference. More Briefing

Bremer Thanks U.S. Troops,
Says June 30 Date Should Hold

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — The civilian administrator of the coalition in Iraq today thanked American soldiers now returning to their home bases for their service in Iraq, and reaffirmed the June 30 target date for the return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III said during a news conference in Baghdad that the June 30 date should hold, despite news reports saying the date will slip. More Briefing

Soldiers Capture Insurgents,
Seize Weapons in Iraq Raids

By American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — News releases from Combined Joint Task Force 7 in Iraq have provided details of recent coalition successes in capturing insurgents and taking weapons out of circulation.
Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, raided three locations in Samarra just after midnight Feb. 17 and captured specifically targeted individuals suspected of attacking coalition forces. More

U.S. Central Command Releases Letter from Suspected Terrorist

Coalition Encourages Growth
In Iraqi Private Businesses

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2004 — While not precisely a "chicken-and-the-egg" analogy, many in Iraq are asking which comes first, security or prosperity.
     It's a bit of both, said Thomas Foley, director of private sector development for the Coalition Provisional Authority.
     "Security and prosperity are related," he said during an interview. 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

Transformation

Myers Stresses Role of
Transformation in War on Terror

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — The United States is doing "pretty well" in the war on terror, but more needs to be done and more progress is necessary to transform American military capabilities, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said Feb. 18.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke at a "Space at the Crossroads" conference. The audience came mostly from industry, and Myers seemed to relish the chance to speak on military transformation and what it means for civilian partners. More

More Transformation News

Defense Agency Supports
Wheelchair Donations in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — Several hundred Iraqis have new-found mobility, thanks to a public-private partnership that provides wheelchairs to victims of war, disability and disease.
About 280 wheelchairs donated through the Wheelchair Foundation are being distributed throughout Iraq. Story

Marine Maintenance Center
Prepares Armor to Protect Vehicles

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga., Feb. 19, 2004 — Every day American and coalition soldiers face deadly attacks by guerrilla forces in Iraq, making use of improvised explosive devices, remote-controlled mines, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. More

Industry Produces Up-armored Humvees

New Technology Helps Families,
Deployed Loved Ones Stay in Touch

Miss USA 2003, Susie Castillo (right) receives help from Meg King, a Vidisolutions representative, while making a video e-mail that expresses Castillo's appreciation for our troops. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. John S. Jamison Jr.

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2004 — The reigning Miss USA, Susie Castillo, visited the United Services Organization here to send her regards, using new technology, to service members who are presently serving outside the United States. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Valentine's Day Messages to the Troops

Radio

Television

Concert in Baghdad Features Donated Steinway Grand Piano

By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service

Lt. Col. Philip Thorp a volunteer from the Coalition Provisional Authority polishes away fingerprints from a Steinway piano he helped remove from its shipping container delivered on Jan. 17, 2004 to the Baghdad Convention Center. Steinway and Sons Inc. donated a Grand Concert Piano to the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John M. Foster

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2004 — If music is the universal language, then the message emanating from a Steinway concert grand piano at a concert today in Baghdad, Iraq, was one of friendship and support.
The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert today at the Baghdad Convention Center since its new grand piano arrived last month. More

Labor Ministry Helps Baghdad
Residents Find Training, Jobs

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 19, 2004 — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the grand reopening of the Baghdad unemployment center located beside the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs recently.
“The significance of this building is that this ministry is responsible for all the Iraqi citizens including the children, and this facility gives them a place to begin, a place to assist them with employment and the technology to improve,” said Sami Azer AL Magon, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. More

Reservists Help Clear Streets, Fields of Bombs

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La., Feb. 18, 2004 (AFPN) — One wrong move could mean death for people who earn a living making bombs safe.
Encountering weapons, explosive devices and booby traps is a daily activity for four explosive ordnance disposal technicians currently deployed to Iraq from the 917th Wing, Barksdale AFB, La. More

Ceremonies Mark End of Bulldogs' Baghdad Mission

Convoy Through Khyber Pass 6 More Photos

With a steady flow of people passing as they cross the border, members of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan and the 19th Special Forces Group move through the village of Torkham, Afghanistan, in the Khyber Pass, following a border security meeting in Pakistan, Feb. 10, 2004. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Belcher Photo Essay Archive

Lakenheath Fighter Squadron, Ground Controllers Train for Iraq Deployment

By 1st Lt. Ed Ekpoudom / 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Airman 1st Class Will Jorgenson, a tactical air command and control specialist with the 4th Air Support Operations Group based in Schweinfurt, Germany, gazes up at an F-15E Strike Eagle as Master Sgt. Jim Burt, a tactical air command and control specialist with the 4th Operations Group, directs a close-air-support training mission near Royal Air Foce Lakenheath, England Feb. 5. U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Ed Ekpoudom

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England, Feb. 18, 2004 (USAFENS) — The 492nd Fighter Squadron is preparing for the next Air Expeditionary Force rotation in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom by training with some of the tactical ground controllers who will direct their close-air-support missions in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. More

War on Terrorism

. Reconstruction Teams Work to Secure, Rebuild Afghanistan

. U.S., Coalition Forcing Taliban To Change Tactical Response

Iraq

. Coalition Continues Offensive Operations in Iraqi Freedom

. Coalition Ups Rewards Program

Military News

. Imminent Danger Pay, Tax Relief Offered to Select Units

. Air Force 'Patriot Express' Flights Diverted to Support Deployments

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Leaders Speak

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"There are clearly still some former Saddam Hussein regime elements that exist in the country that would like to go back to a Ba'athist regime, a dictatorship. They're not going to succeed."

Remarks during WTVT-TV interview, Feb. 17, 2004

Defense Views

More Afghanistan Update Details

. Maps of Afghanistan

Profile

U.S. Air Force
Senior Airman Laurie Vroman

Shortly before her promotion to senior airman this month, Laurie Vroman leads an honor guard team in a formal retreat ceremony at a forward-deployed location. Vroman is a security forces journeyman with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and is deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM — With dark-brown hair pulled back into a perfect bun, and deep-brown, thoughtful eyes, Air Force Senior Airman Laurie Vroman demonstrates pride and precision in her duties.
Vroman, a security forces journeyman deployed to this undisclosed location from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., leads the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing honor guard team. More

More Profiles

In Kyrgyzstan

Airmen Keep Fuel Flowing
For Operation Enduring Freedom

Senior Airman Micah Ramthun from the 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron checks the wheel well of a KC-135 Stratotanker. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Brus E. Vidal

MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan, Feb. 19, 2004 — One of the key missions of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing here is providing fuel to the fighters and bombers supporting coalition warfighters in Afghanistan.
This means the KC-135 Stratotanker operators and maintainers from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., and MacDill AFB, Fla., must keep their 40- to 50-year-old jets ready to fly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More

In Iraq

Eye in the Sky
Provides Real-time Intell

A Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle launches from its catapult just prior to an intelligence-gathering mission for 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Baqubah, Iraq. At the end of the catapult the aircraft, its Moto Guzzi engine and camera package have accelerated to over 70 knots. U.S.Army photo by Sgt. Troy Chatwin

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, BAQUBAH, Iraq, Feb. 18, 2004 — From the times when Civil War commanders sent intelligence collectors hundreds of feet up and over enemy troops in hot air balloons until today, tactical commanders have relied on eyes other than their own to track enemy movement. Today, this process is provided by Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to gather intelligence from a more advantageous position. More

New Visitor Control
Bolsters Base Security

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) — The task for terrorists intent on attacking coalition forces here just got a lot more difficult recently with the opening of the new visitor control center.
The $1.3 million effort was the culmination of months of planning and construction. More

PX Shopping Comes to Tikrit

'On The Ground' Archive