DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 04/08/2004

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Apr 08, 2004

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INSPECTION — U.S. Navy Seaman Justin Tassey, of Butler, Pa., inspects a potassium bicarbonate dry chemical fire extinguisher in a repair locker aboard the USS George Washington, April 5, 2004. The Norfolk, Va.-based nuclear powered aircraft carrier is on a scheduled deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Joan Kretschmer

Coalition Working to Pacify
Fallujah, Destroy Sadr Militia

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, April 8, 2004 - Coalition forces are working to pacify Fallujah and other parts the Sunni Triangle area, and they are destroying the militia led by Muqtada al-Sadr in the central and southern areas of Iraq, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq said today.
     Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7, said during a briefing from Baghdad that the coalition will not allow thugs, extremists and terrorists to stop the transition to Iraqi sovereignty or to try to control the country with a violent power play.
     "Coalition and Iraqi security forces are conducting deliberate, precise and robust combat operations to separate, isolate and destroy the enemy wherever we find him on the battlefield," Sanchez said. More

Rumsfeld Vows Coalition
Will Win 'Test of Will' in Iraq

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 — The coalition is facing a "test of will" in Iraq, and it will meet that test, Defense Department leaders said at a press briefing today.
"We will certainly not allow fugitives from Iraqi justice to stop progress toward a better life for 25 million people," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said. "We will not allow Sadr to get away with murder. We will not allow Zarqawi and others to block the path to a free Iraq." More

Air Support Helps Marines
Breach Wall, Reach Insurgents

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 — Marines in Fallujah, Iraq, used air support today to break through the wall of a mosque complex that insurgents were using to fire on them, a U.S. Central Command news release reported.
The release said Marines saw anti-coalition forces firing from the Haj Musheen Abdul Aziz Az-Kubaysi mosque complex. To gain access to the compound housing the mosque, the release continued, the Marines used air support to breach a wall several hundred yards away from the actual mosque structure. More

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

Technology Helps Get
Supplies to Warfighters

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 — Defense Department officials met this week with hundreds of vendors to discuss plans for implementing technology common among today's retailers to revolutionize the supply chain to the battlefield. More

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

'Run for Freedom'
Honors War Dead

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2004 — Navy and Army ROTC members, as well as students, faculty and staff at Old Dominion University and the local community are lapping the school's perimeter in Norfolk, Va., during a six-day "Run for Freedom" to honor every U.S. service member killed during the war on terror. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

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 Leaders Speak

Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld

"Well, the young men and women in the service today are doing ... such a superb job in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in the horn of Africa and elsewhere around the globe, in Korea. And I visit them, I talk to them and they are talented, they’re trained, they’re well-lead, they’re well-equipped and they know they’re doing something that’s important."

Interview on WNIS-AM, April 6, 2004

Secretary of State Colin Powell

"Everybody knows that terrorists try to cross borders; they try to send money across borders; they try to avoid intelligence detection; they try to avoid us and they are going to run into a net that's getting tighter and tighter and they're being rolled up. I mean, we are working with the Spaniards; we're working with the French; we're working with the Italians. Nobody is immune. Therefore, all of us have to work together and we are."

Interview on the Tony Snow Show, April 6, 2004

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer

"It's (militia group led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr) basically an effort to take over the country. It represents a fundamental challenge to the concept of the rule of law in Iraq, and it will not stand."

Interview on CNN, April 6

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

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.
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

7 Photos from Fallujah

Duty in Kirkuk 7 More Photos

An F-16 pilot and crew chief with the 107th Fighter Squadron, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, prepare for a mission Aprill 1, 2004. The 107th Fighter squadron's mission is to do armed reconnaissance. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Glenn Wilkewitz Photo Essay Archive

Army's Task Force Rock Returns

MANNHEIM, Germany, April 8, 2004 — More than 70 soldiers from 44th Signal Battalion, 7th Signal Brigade returned to Germany April 6, 2004, after a year-long deployment to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. They are the final wave of 44th soldiers redeploying from Iraq. More

Marine Infantry Platoon Provides
Security for Aircraft Unit Convoy

By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. J.L. Zimmer III / 3d Marine Aircraft Wing

AL TAQQADUM, Iraq, April 7, 2004 — The Marines of 1st platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, conducted two nights of security for a convoy of Marines and soldiers bringing 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing gear from here to Al Asad, April 4 through 6. 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 1. 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. More

Iraqis Reject Violence; Say Anti-Coalition Acts Unacceptable

LAPD Shares Explosive Expertise with Marines

CAMP AL-MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq, April 4, 2004 — Marines in Iraq have a secret weapon when it comes to dealing with improved explosive devices. It comes with a badge from the Los Angeles Police Department. More

War on Terrorism

. Dept. of Homeland Security Announces WMD Exercise Participants

. NATO, Russia Discuss Cooperation on Terrorism Issues

. Ultimate Success in Afghanistan Demands Ongoing Commitment

. Task Force Ready When Terror Hits Home

. U.S. Sailors, Italians Honor Terror Victims

Iraq

. Ambassador Negroponte Pledges Support of Oil-for-Food Probe

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

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

. Bush: Enemies of Democracy Challenge Coalition Resolution

Military News

. North Korea Threatens Northeast Asian, World Security

. Guard, Reserve Program Looks At Mobilizations, Civilian Jobs

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Officials
Identify Casualties

     WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials announced the death of ten Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
     The Marines died April 6, 2004, due to hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Marines were from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Killed were:
     Lance Cpl. Kyle D. Crowley, 18, of San Ramon, Calif.
     Staff Sgt. Allan K. Walker, 28, of Lancaster, Calif.
     Pfc. Christopher R. Cobb, 19, of Bradenton, Fla.
     Pfc. Ryan M. Jerabek, 18, of Oneida, Wis.
     Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield, 19, of Fremont, Calif.
     Lance Cpl. Anthony P. Roberts, 18, of Bear, Del.
     Pfc. Deryk L. Hallal, 24, of Indianapolis, Ind.,
     Pfc. Moises A. Langhorst, 19, of Moose Lake, Minn., died April 5, 2004, from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
     Pfc. Christopher Ramos, 26, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Cpl. Jesse L. Thiry, 23, of Casco, Wis., died April 5, 2004, due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. They were assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

NORAD, USNORTHCOM Tap
Academia To Answer Questions

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., April 2, 2004 — “What would be the political and economic impact of a catastrophic attack on the United States and what capabilities does the Department of Defense need to respond to such an attack?” 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. More

. Maps of Afghanistan

Donations Benefit Military
Working Dogs in Iraq

FORT MONROE, Va., April 5, 2004 – The military police motto “of the troops and for the troops” has been taken to heart by some American citizens concerned for the Army’s four-legged troops: the military working dogs. More

Profile

U.S. Air Force
Master Sgt. Michael Moss

Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Moss pushes himself through some pushups at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Six months ago, Moss was overweight and could not run half of the required distance to pass the new fitness test. Now he is setting the example and said he is feeling better than he ever has. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Zoellner

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., April 7, 2004 — When the Air Force unveiled its new exercise program many airmen did not think much of it, but for some it was an eye-opener and more of an incentive to get in shape. That is what Master Sgt. Michael Moss thought. More

More Profiles

In Iraq

Cavalry Escort
Team Controls Road

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 7, 2004 — Just as jagged rays of light creep through the morning haze, gunners check their weapons while the drivers start their vehicles. It’s time to run another gauntlet. More

Missouri Guard Builds Place
For U.S. Soldiers to Worship

Missouri National Guardsmen build a chapel in Iraq to give U.S. soldiers a place to worship. U.S. Army photo

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 7, 2004 (Army News Service) — A 200-seat chapel in Iraq is being built to give U.S. soldiers a place to worship. Engineers from the Missouri National Guard, put their carpentry and masonry skills to the test. More

'On The Ground' Archive