DefendAmerica 03/28/2004 - Sunday Edition

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Mar 28, 2004

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WORKING TOGETHER — Members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps secure the area while their fellow soldiers cross a danger area during a training exercise in As Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, March, 14, 2004. Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers continue to assume more responsibility for the security of Iraq from Coalition Forces. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Sergio Rangel

Rumsfeld: 9/11 Commission's Task 'Legitimate, Important'

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, March 28, 2004 — The Defense Department's top civilian today said he supports the 9/11 commission's investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, while noting the necessity of preventing future terrorist acts.
     "The commission has got a legitimate task to do, and it's an important task," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told host Chris Wallace on the Washington-based "Fox News Sunday" television program.
     Rumsfeld went on to say he hopes the congressionally appointed commission will "connect the dots after the fact and help this country understand what actually happened." More

Cheney Tells Troops America Must Remain on Offensive

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, March 26, 2004 — The American military must stay on the offensive if it wishes to end terrorism, Vice President Dick Cheney told airmen and their families at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, today.
     Cheney spoke at what many people consider the real birthplace of aviation. The Wright Brothers returned from Kitty Hawk, N.C., to their home in Dayton and used what is now the base to experiment with the Wright Flyer.
     Cheney said that same spirit of adventure continues at Wright-Patterson, now the home of the Aeronautical Systems Center. "You are helping our country keep that vital edge in aerospace technology," he said. More    Remarks

Troop Levels Must Address
Challenges of 21st Century

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2004 — Any report on specific changes to U.S. troop levels based in various parts of the world is speculation, because the department still is working with friends and allies around the world on those levels, senior Defense Department officials said at a Pentagon news conference today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed news reports that final decisions had been made in how to adjust the U.S. military's global "footprint" to better address challenges of the 21st century.
Defense Department began looking at the U.S. global posture almost as soon as the Bush administration took office, Rumsfeld said. More Briefing

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.

. Iraq Update . Maps of Iraq

. Iraq's 55 Most Wanted

Minuteman ICBMs Soldier on
As Peacekeepers Get Mothballed

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2004 — The U.S. military will upgrade its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles while retiring its Peacekeeper missile force, a senior officer told a Senate subcommittee March 25. Story

Guard, Reserve and Employers
Named 'Citizen of Year'

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2004 — The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation named Reserve and Guard forces and their employers as the "Citizen of the Year" earlier this week during its annual Circle of Honor dinner at the New York Stock Exchange. More

Defense Leaders Speak

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"If people are determined to kill innocent men, women and children, they can do it. That's why what's being done is the right thing to do. You have to go after the terrorists, and the haven for terrorists where they are, because it's not possible for a defender to defend against every attack."

Interview on ABC, March 28, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Information Leads
To Capture Near Tuz

TIKRIT, Iraq, March 26, 2004 — Task Force Danger soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment detained two suspected arms traffickers in a raid near Tuz at 3:30 a.m. March 25, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials. The soldiers detained the suspects after an Iraqi citizen identified them. More

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

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

Radio

Television

Girls School Opening 4 More Photos

U.S. Army Maj. Charles Westover, a member of the Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, cuts the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Namaz Jay Primary Girls School in Golbahar, Afghanistan, March 23, 2004. The Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team coordinated the reconstruction of the school. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sandra Watkin Keough 4 More Photos Photo Essay Archive

Korean Army Medics Mark Milestone
With 90,000 Afghan Patients Treated

Soldiers of the Republic of Korea Army joined by U.S. Army representatives and Afghan interpreters spread seeds in the

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, March 26, 2004 — Coalition Forces here are adamant in their efforts to help Afghanistan become a healthy and vigorous nation, and that resolve helped the Republic of Korea Army’s 924th Medical Support Group reach a milestone Mar. 12, when they treated their 90,000th Afghan patient at the Republic of Korea Hospital. More

Troops Scour Baghdad Streets
During Operation Iron Promise

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Sailer / 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, prepare to search a house in the Abu Ghuraib neighborhood during a cordon and search operation carried out during Task Force 1st Armored Division's Operation Iron Promise March 17. U.S. Army photo

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 26, 2004 — In what has become almost a nightly ritual, soldiers from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, lined up their vehicles on a quiet side street in the sleepy town of Abu Ghuraib just before initiating a cordon and search mission March 17.
This time, the “Annihilators” of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force 1st Armored Division, were part of the division-wide Operation “Iron Promise.” More

Marine MPs Stay Prepared During Convoy Duty

By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Samuel Bard Valliere

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq, March 26, 2004 — Marines convoying through Iraq delve into a risky business, where potential danger lurks along the roads beset on halting the lifelines of support and slowing the progress of coalition forces. The guardian angels who strive provide a halo of protection for convoys of the 1st Force Service Support Group, and who push out supplies and other support to Marines in Iraq, carry a badge, somewhere, underneath their Kevlar. More

Reservists Train
Afghan Women in Police Duties

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 26, 2004 - Afghan women police officers in Kabul recently prepared for their role in Afghanistan’s upcoming elections with extra training from female U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers.
Twenty-nine Ministry of Interior women officers graduated from the two-and-a-half day course in election site protection last month. All of the soldiers teaching the course were able to draw from their civilian police backgrounds. More

Bagram Observance
Focuses on Women's Rights, Equality

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, March 25, 2004 — Two influential women dedicated to the advancement of Afghanistan spoke at Bagram’s “Celebrate Women’s History Month” observance sponsored by Combined Joint Task Force-180 March 13.
Lt. Col. Judith Tracy, chief nurse for Medical Task Force-44, and Najiba Sharif, deputy minister of Afghanistan Women’s Affairs, voiced their appreciation to the dedicated women who’ve brought rights and equality to women around the world. More

Marine Red Dogs Visit Local Orphanage

Fact Sheet: Afghan Reconstruction Progress

War on Terrorism

. Marine Deployment to Support Coalition Forces in Afghanistan

. Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Spreads Its Wings in Haiti

. Army Farm Helps in Fight Against Bioterrorism

. Pre-emptive Strike Unlikely to Have Prevented 9/11 Attacks

. CIA Chief Says U.S. Has Maintained Focus on al Qaeda

. Rumsfeld: No Available Intel Could Have Prevented Sept. 11

. U.S. Coast Guard to Begin Inspecting Foreign Ships in July

Iraq

. Remembering the 3rd Infantry Division's Thunder Runs

Military News

. Wolfowitz Pins Wounded Soldier with Purple Heart

. Land Warrior System to Improve Soldier's Ability on Battlefield

. Army Report Addresses Troop Suicide Rates

. Fort Campbell Families Adjust To Newfound Togetherness

. Monument to Honor 101st Airborne Division Soldiers

. Officials Work to Implement Reserve, Guard Health Benefits

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Officials
Identify Casualties

     WASHINGTON, March 26, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of a Marine and a soldier who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
      Marine Lance Cpl. James A. Casper, 20, of Coolidge, Texas, died March 25 due to a non-combat related incident at Al Asad, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
     Army Spc. Adam D. Froehlich, 21, of Pine Hill, N. J., died March 25 in Baqubah, Iraq, from injuries sustained when his patrol came under attack. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, from Warner Barracks, Bamberg, Germany.

Honoring the Fallen

Air Base Renamed in
Honor of NCO Leader

TAJI, Iraq, March 26, 2004 — The memory of a 1st Armored Division senior noncommissioned officer's service will live on at one of the U.S. Army’s enduring base camps in Iraq. The former Iraqi air force base in Taji was officially renamed Camp Cooke March 23 in honor of Command Sgt. Maj. Eric F. Cooke. More

Marines Inspect
Rifles Bound for Iraq

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif., March 25, 2004 — Reservists and active duty service members from the Marine Forces Reserve headquarters and 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines converged here recently to inspect rifles they will be accepting in preparation of their departure to Operation Iraqi Freedom II. More

. Maps of Afghanistan

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Profile

U.S. Air Force
Col. Mary Kay Higgins

As a captain in 1980, Mary Kay Higgins became one of the first women to earn both pilot and navigator ratings. Scheduled to retire June 1, Colonel Higgins is currently chief of the operations and plans division in the office of the Air Force Reserve at the Pentagon. Courtesy photo

WASHINGTON — Even before Women’s History Month became a national event in 1987, Air Force Col. Mary Kay Higgins was well on her way to making history. As a captain in 1980, Higgins became one of the first woman to earn both pilot and navigator ratings. More More Profiles

In Iraq

Marine Engineers Bolster
Defenses at Iraqi Base

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ST. MERE, Iraq, March 26, 2004 — As the 1st Force Service Support Group settles into Iraq, its combat engineers here wasted no time fortifying the base from regular mortar attacks. Arriving in Iraq March 14, 2004, a company from the 7th Engineer Support Battalion quickly noticed several safety concerns and quickly took steps to fix the problems that they found. More

In Afghanistan

Air Force Engineers
Build Up Bagram

BAGRAM, Afghanistan , March 26, 2004 — There’s been some talk lately about “rockin’ and rollin’ ” and “getting in a rhythm” here. The words aren’t used to describe a morale-boosting concert for the men and women at Camp Cunningham; they’re referring to how the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group civil engineer flight has been going about its business. More

In Kuwait

Marine Prepositioning Force
Supports Iraqi Freedom II

Sgt. Marlon Morris, port operations, Blount Isalnd Command, directs a forklift operator at Schuaiba Port, Kuwait. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy C. Hodge

SHUAIBA PORT, Kuwait, March 25, 2004 — The overall concept of the Maritime Prepositioning Force revolves around one thing - the rapid deployment of equipment and supplies to decrease the time it takes to insert Marines into a contingency or combat environment. More

'On The Ground' Archive