DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 04/07/2004

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Apr 07, 2004

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BIG GUNS IN AFGHANISTAN — U.S. Army Spc. Wayne Jefferson with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Battalion, prepares an M-119 105mm howitzer for firing in Orgun-e, Afghanistan. Jefferson is deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Kaufmann

Sadr Group Influence Wanes
Among Iraqi Shiia Population

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 — The Mahdi Army, a militia group led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is losing influence among Shiia in Iraq, a Defense Department official said here today.
Speaking on background, he said the Mahdi Army was a group of about 3,000 lightly armed devotees of Sadr before operations against the group started Sunday. "It was a small group on the margins," said the official, adding that while it is unknown how large the group is now, it has been degraded. More Coalition Update

Coalition Vows to Defeat Iraqi
Insurgency, Restore Order

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 - U.S. officials in Baghdad today vowed to defeat insurgents and restore order in Iraq after a third day of countrywide attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.
Coalition Provisional Authority officials blamed outlaw Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his "Mahdi Army" militia for many of the recent attacks. Iraqi officials have put out an arrest warrant on Sadr for his alleged role in the murder of a prominent Shiia cleric last year. More

Iraq Operation Nets Targets;
12 Marines Killed in Al Anbar

By Combined Joint Task Force 7

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, April 7, 2004 — I Marine Expeditionary Force continued to execute Operation Vigilant Resolve yesterday throughout the Al Anbar Province and in several cities known to harbor anti-Iraqi forces, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials.
Operations from the Syrian border to the Baghdad suburbs have resulted in the capture or death of a significant number of anti-Iraqi Forces and foreign terrorists. More

Raids Continue in Fallujah,
Coalition Captures Insurgents

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2004 — U.S. forces have been conducting raids in Fallujah and have captured a number of high-value targets, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in Norfolk, Va., today.
Rumsfeld said Marines have cordoned off Fallujah, a hotbed of anti-coalition activity and the site of the killings and mutilation of four U.S. security contractors March 31. "The city is isolated," he said. Story Remarks

U.S. Marines Cordon Fallujah

7 Photos from Fallujah

DoD Assists Anti-Drug Efforts

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2004 — Mindful that terrorist groups use the drug trade to fund operations, the Defense Department is helping local governments fight narco-trafficking in Colombia and Afghanistan, senior U.S. officials noted on Capitol Hill April 2. Story

First Stryker Brigade
Proves Its Worth in Iraq

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2004 (Army News Service) — A year after conducting its initial operational capabilities testing, the Army’s first Stryker Brigade Combat Team is fairing well in Iraq, according to senior Army procurement officials. More

Outreach Program Sends Speakers to Communities

WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials want to expand their efforts in reaching out to the American public.
The Defend America speakers program is the Department's public-outreach effort that places service members and civilian employees in speaking forums, according to Eric Holland, program director. More

Defense Officials
Identify Marine Casualty

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2004 — The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Tyler R. Fey, 22, of Eden Prarie, Minn., died April 4 due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Children of Fallen Marines
To Get Scholarships

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2004 — With increased U.S. Marine deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is stepping up fund- raising so it can honor its pledge to award scholarships to all children of Marines killed in combat during the war on terror. More

NASCAR Salutes Army Guard,
Reservists, Employers

ARLINGTON, Va., April 6, 2004 — Richard Childress Racing and Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion, joined forces with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at the Texas Motor Speedway April 3 in the first of a NASCAR "Dream Team" lineup of drivers. More

More OTF News

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

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

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

Radio

Television

Rumsfeld Visits Annapolis 7 More Photos

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld shakes the hand of a Navy officer during a recent visit to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., April 5, 2004. Rumsfeld traveled to Annapolis to address an All Flag Officer Training Symposium. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Morrison Jr. Photo Essay Archive

Punished, Maimed by Former Regime,
Iraqis Travel to U.S. for Medical Care

By U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Uriah Orland / 469th Air Base Group

RHEIN-MAIN AIR BASE, Germany, April 6, 2004 (USAFENS) — As Iraq rebuilds after 35 years of oppression and cruelty under Saddam Hussein, seven men and their families will finally begin to repair the pieces of their lives destroyed by Saddam’s injustice.
The men, punished in 1996 for allegedly dealing in foreign currency and sentenced to lose their healthy right hands, passed through Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, April 5 on their way to Houston, Texas. They’re scheduled to receive prosthetic hands at the Houston Medical Center. More

Baghdad International Police
Academy Graduates Second Class

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6, 2004 (Army News Service) — After completing eight physically and mentally demanding weeks of training, 479 men and women officially joined the Iraqi Police Service during a graduation ceremony at the Baghdad Police Academy April 1st.
This class was the second to graduate from the International Police Academy since the program’s inception in December of 2003. So far, 945 academy graduates — men and women — have joined the ranks of the Iraqi Police Service. More

Benning Drill Sergeants Train Iraqi Soldiers

FORT BENNING, Ga., April 5, 2004 — Ten Fort Benning drill sergeants from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, are on the ground in Iraq as part of a pilot program to use American drill sergeants as trainers for the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. The drill sergeants deployed in January on 179-day orders.
Capt. Christopher Coulter, company commander, said the drill sergeants’ mission is one that supercedes their mission at Fort Benning. “The Army needed expert trainers to develop the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps,” Coulter said. More

Iraqis Reject Violence; Say Anti-Coalition Acts Unacceptable

U.S. Airmen Rebuild Djiboutian Medical Clinic

By Cpl. Adam C. Schnell / Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

OWEA, Djibouti — As children surround the medical complex in Owea to get a glimpse of construction power tools never seen before, airmen from the 219th Red Horse Squadron renovate a medical care complex here March 29.
The 219th Red Horse Squadron, while supporting Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, is helping to build relationships in the region by providing humanitarian support in the form of renovation projects like this one. More

War on Terrorism

. Ultimate Success in Afghanistan Demands Ongoing Commitment

. Task Force Ready When Terror Hits Home

. U.S. Sailors, Italians Honor Terror Victims

. Guantanamo Detainee Transfer Complete

. Al Qaeda Weaker, But Still Potent Force

Iraq

. Iraqi Judge Issues Warrant for Anti-Coalition Cleric’s Arrest

. Bush: Enemies of Democracy Challenge Coalition Resolution

. No 'Plus-Up' Planned for Troop Levels in Iraq, CENTCOM Says

. Bremer Outlines Iraqi Defense Structure, New Intel Agency

. South Korea to Deploy 3,000 More Troops to Iraq Provinces

. Kimmitt: 'Horrible, Bestial' Acts Shouldn't Obscure Iraq Gains

Military News

. North Korea Threatens Northeast Asian, World Security

. Guard, Reserve Program Looks At Mobilizations, Civilian Jobs

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Leaders Speak

President George W. Bush

" (Sept. 11, 2001) changed the way government must think about threats. We can't take them for granted anymore. I vowed that day that we would bring justice to the killers. We have been on the offense since that day. We'll stay on the offense until those who have done us harm are brought to justice."

Remarks in El Dorado, Ark., April 6, 2004

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"We're going to have good days and bad days. But the men and women who are serving our country and helping to defend freedom and who've liberated 25 million people in Afghanistan and 25 (million) people in Iraq deserve our praise and our respect and our appreciation."

News Conference with
NATO Secretary General, April 6, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Iraqi Freedom Veteran
Relates POW Rescue

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., April 2, 2004 — On April 12, 2003, 35 Marines rescued seven American soldiers who were being held prisoners in Iraq. Almost a year after the rescue, Maj. Gordon D. Miller was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with Combat Distinguishing Device) in part, for leading his company into Samarra, Iraq, to free the soldiers captured in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Story

U.S. Troops Locate Weapons

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 7, 2004 — U.S. forces found two weapons caches in the vicinity of Surobi, southeast of Bagram Air Base, April 5, 2004, according to Combined Joint Task Force 180 officials. Theses caches consisted of a small number of 107 mm rockets, 82 mm mortar fuses and rounds; and several recoilless rifles. The explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

. Maps of Afghanistan

Profile

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Dwight J. Brown

PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., April 6, 2004 — Like many soldiers of his rank, Dwight J. Brown can probably best be described as a “been there, done that” kind of command sergeant major. That's what happens when you've been wearing the Army's highest enlisted rank for more than a decade. Story

More Profiles

In Iraq

Marines Create Memorial to
Honor Airman, Help Family

Cpl. Thane A. Lindholm, (foreground) a 23-year-old El Cajon, Calif., native, removes a plastic sheet that was used to design a painting March 29, while Sgt. Sal Hernandez, assistant supply warehouse chief and 24-year-old Clear Lake, Calif., native, cuts the letters for the painting from a plastic sheet. The painting was done in memory of Staff Sgt. Richard J. Rakoczy's niece, Airman Cpl. Thane A. Lindholm, (foreground) supply warehouse clerk, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 23-year-old El Cajon, Calif., native, removes a plastic sheet that was used to design a painting March 29, while Sgt. Sal Hernandez, assistant supply warehouse chief and 24-year-old Clear Lake, Calif., native, cuts the letters for the painting from a plastic sheet.

AL ASAD, Iraq, April 6, 2004 — Four supply warehouse Marines from Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, have created a memorial to honor U.S. Air Force Airman Carly Rakoczy, the late niece of the unit supply warehouse chief. Story

Marine Reservists Bring
Civilian Skills to Iraqi Freedom II

AL ASAD, Iraq, April 6, 2004 — Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of businessmen and women have climbed down from America's corporate ladders to don uniforms and defend the American way of life as mobilized reserve Marines. More

'On The Ground' Archive