DefendAmerica 03/18/2004

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Mar 18, 2004

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GUARD DUTY — A U.S. Army soldier guards the perimeter of the Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team site in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, March 16, 2004. Soldiers are in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sandra Watkin Keough

President Praises 'Screaming
Eagles' During Kentucky Visit

By Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 — Calling the present "a crucial hour in the history of freedom," President Bush today lauded the U.S. Army's "Screaming Eagles" for their service in Iraq.
The nation's commander in chief got a warm welcome as he visited troops from the 101st Airborne Division, the 5th Special Forces Group, and other units at Fort Campbell, Ky. Many of the soldiers present today have only recently returned from duty in Iraq, where they spent the past year. More Remarks

Coalition Forces Meet Shifting Threats, Launch 'Iron Promise'

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 — As the threats shift in Baghdad, coalition forces are shifting to counter them, said Army Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey during a press conference today in Baghdad.
Dempsey commands the 1st Armored Division, which has control of the capital city. He said the Iraqi security forces are playing a greater role in the defense of their own territory. More

Coalition Officials Revise Iraq
Hotel Death Toll Downward

By U.S.Army Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 — Coalition officials said today that the March 17 bombing of Baghdad's Mount Lebanon Hotel killed only seven people, not 27 as previously believed. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7, briefed reporters on the bombing at a Baghdad news conference.
Kimmitt said a suicide bomber triggered the device inside a vehicle and died in the explosion. 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

Soldier Killed, 7 Wounded

BALAD, Iraq, March 18, 2004 — A 13th Corps Support Command soldier was killed and seven were wounded in a mortar attack at approximately 12:45 p.m., March 17, 2004, at Logistics Base Seitz near Baghdad, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials. More

Appeasement Doesn't Work,
Joint Chiefs Chairman Says

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2004 — History has shown that appeasement doesn't work, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said here today. He spoke at the Foreign Press Center and gave his assessment of the coalition in Iraq a year after the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. More

Officials Release
Predator Accident Report

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va., March 17, 2004 (AFPN) — Operator error caused an RQ-1L Predator remotely piloted aircraft to crash Dec. 11 in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, according to Air Force officials. More

Defense Leaders Speak

President George W. Bush

"Because America and our allies acted, a state sponsor of terror was put out of business. The Iraqi regime gave cash rewards to the families of suicide bombers and sheltered terrorist groups. But all that's over. When Saddam Hussein went down, the terrorists lost an ally forever."

Fort Campbell, Ky., March 18, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

http://www.defendamerica.mil/homecoming/archive.html

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

Radio

Television

Wolfowitz: Iraq on the Path to Democracy, New Free Society

By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 — In the week that marks the one-year anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz commented on various aspects of the operation in a series of radio interviews March 16.
In an interview with Eric Westervelt and Juan Williams on National Public Radio, Wolfowitz wondered why some people ask in hindsight why the United States didn't do more with incomplete intelligence information before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, yet criticize U.S. action in Iraq on the grounds that pre-war intelligence lacked certainty. More

School Supplies 5 More Photos

Air Force Maj. Keith Pelquin from the 332nd Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Base, Iraq, hands out school supplies to children in the town of Al Anwar, Iraq, March 6, 2004. The supplies were provided by a school in Tampa, Fla., through fund raising events by the children. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II Photo Essay Archive

'Just Around the Corner'

Iraqi Freedom widow meets husband's returning soldiers

Sherry Orlando and Susan Johnson embrace, as the flight carrying more than 200 members of the 716 MP battalion returns March 6.

     FORT CAMBPELL, KY, March 6, 2004 — She waited outside Hangar 2 in the damp pre-dawn air for a sign of landing lights.
     Her husband would have been among the more than 200 716th Military Police Battalion soldiers returning to Fort Campbell that day.
     U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kim Orlando did not live to enjoy the reunion, but Sherry Orlando met the plane anyway.
     "My military family is still here," she said. More

Airmen Support U.S. Special Operations in Africa

By U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Phillip Ulmer / 435th Air Base Wing

TIMBUKTU, Mali, March 18, 2004 (USAFENS) — Bringing U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s combat might to the fight, airmen from bases throughout Europe are supporting special operations forces along the fringes of the Sahara Desert, in Northwest Africa, in the continuing global war on terrorism. More

The Striped Beagle

U.S. Army Reserve Maj. David L. Barber deployed to the Persian Gulf with the 172nd Corps Support Group. Along with his duties as the unit's legal advisor, Barber launched his own newsletter The Striped Beagle. With his permission, DefendAmerica.mil will publish excerpts, giving you a feel for what daily life is like for America's troops in the field.

Cool by the Pool

LSA ANACONDA, Iraq, March 3, 2004 — Have you ever heard of the "dog days of .March?" Well, the mercury stopped just 4 degrees shy of 90 on this third day of March. The rainy season is over and Spring - so to speak - is just around the corner. More

Florida Reservists Take on Community Missions

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 17, 2004 — The 478th Civil Affairs Battalion from Miami, Fla. recently arrived in Baghdad to replace the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion from Greensboro, N.C. The newly arrived Army Reserve unit has not wasted any time in getting out into the community and continuing the projects established by the 422nd and establishing new projects with the local advisory councils. More

Iraqis Look to Modernize Farm Sector

Health Care Improves for Iraq's Children

War on Terrorism

. White House Condemns Deadly 'Attack on Innocent Civilians'

. Cheney Says U.S. Will Never Ask Permission to Defend Itself

. Spanish Troop Pullout Would Convey a ‘Terrible Message’

. U.S., Dutch Leaders Say World Must Stand Against Terrorism

Iraq

. U.S. Troops in Iraq Experience 'Roller Coaster' of Highs, Lows

. Adaptability Key to Success in Iraq, 101st Commander Says

. U.S. Remains Committed, 'Will Stay the Course,' Armitage Says

Military News

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties

     WASHINGTON, March 17, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
     Sgt. William J. Normandy, 42, of Augusta, Ga., died March 15, in Camp Virginia, Iraq (north of Kuwait City), of non-combat related injuries. Sgt. Normandy was assigned to the Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 86th Field Artillery, from Montpelier, Vt.
     Master Sgt. Thomas R. Thigpen, Sr., 52, of Augusta, Ga., died March 16, in Camp Virginia, Kuwait (north of Kuwait City), of non-combat related injuries. Master Sgt. Thigpen was assigned to the Army National Guard, 151st Signal Battalion, from Greenville, S.C.
     First Lieutenant Michael R. Adams, 24, of Seattle, Wash., died March 16, in Al Asad, Iraq, when the barrel of the .50 caliber weapon mounted on his tank struck him. Lt. Adams was a member of the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
     These incidents are under investigation.

Honoring the Fallen

Women Soldiers: Fighting,
Dying for Their Country

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2004 (Army News Service) — Through the course of liberating Iraq, women soldiers have conducted air missions, kicked down doors, disarmed mines and shed their own blood. Sixteen women soldiers have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. When 19-year-old Pfc. Rachel Bosveld found out that she was going to Iraq she said, “‘Dad I get to go,’ not I have to go,” her father, Marvin Bosveld, recounted from Wisconsin. More

. Maps of Afghanistan

Nimitz Sailors Visit
NASCAR in Las Vegas

NORTH ISLAND, Calif., March 17, 2004 (NNS) — Four USS Nimitz sailors helped represent the Navy recently at a NASCAR Busch Series race held in Las Vegas. The No. 14 Navy “Accelerate your life” Chevrolet Monte Carlo ran in the Sam’s Town 300 and was dedicated to the ship and her crew. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Profile

U.S. Army
Spc. Daemon Lowell

Spc. Daemon Lowell, an interrogator assigned to the Division Artillery Combat Team, Task Force 1st Armored Division, conducts preventive maintenance checks and services on his section’s vehicle. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Bell

CAMP STEEL FALCON, Iraq — Being able to gather information that helps prevent terrorist attacks against the Iraqi people or coalition forces provides a military intelligence soldier with the motivation to continually improve. Working behind the scenes, Spc. Daemon Lowell, 22, who calls Virginia Beach home, is a human intelligence collector. More More Profiles

In Afghanistan

Aid Station Keeps Task
Force Phoenix Ready to Fight

1st Lt. Robin Sunday, a registered nurse at the Camp Phoenix Aid Station, prepares to administer intravenous fluid to a patient. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Robert R. Ramon

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 18, 2004 — When most Americans are in need of emergency medical care, help is usually just a quick phone call away. U.S. soldiers serving at Camp Phoenix here may not have a phone readily available, but medical assistance can be there just as quickly. More

'On The Ground' Archive