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Apr 26, 2004

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CLEANING TIME — Petty Officer 3rd Class Alex Bodle of Tucson, Ariz., an aviation machinist’s mate, cleans a buddy store tail cone April 19, 2004, prior to completing an inspection. The buddy store is used for in-flight refueling on an S-3B Viking assigned to the “Topcats” of Sea Control Squadron 31 aboard USS George Washington. The Norfolk, Va.- based nuclear powered aircraft carrier is on a scheduled deployment in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U. S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Leah Stiles

Bush: Saddam Threat Could No Longer Be Ignored After 9/11

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

President George W. Bush greets base personnel of the 934th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minn., Monday, April 26, 2004.

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — In the changed world after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Saddam Hussein's threat to the United States and the world couldn't be ignored any longer, President Bush said today in Minneapolis.
"One of the lessons of Sept. 11 is that when we see threats, we must deal with them before they fully materialize," Bush told attendees at a community college convention. "I saw a threat in Iraq." More Remarks

Coalition Chronicles Recent
Iraq Attacks, Weapons Finds

By American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — A series of Combined Joint Task Force 7 news releases provided details of various recent operations in Iraq.
A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an improvised explosive device attack on their convoy in Baghdad April 25. While attempting to recover a vehicle damaged in the blast, soldiers came under small-arms attack from both sides of the road. In the ensuing firefight, a number of civilians, including children who were attempting to take cover near the damaged vehicle, were hit. More

Coalition, Iraqi Forces to Patrol Fallujah as Part of Cease-Fire

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — Coalition and Iraqi forces soon will conduct joint security patrols in the troubled town of Fallujah, senior officials said today in Baghdad.
Possibly as early as April 27, "we will have joint Iraqi Police Service, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and coalition patrols … come into the town of Fallujah," Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7, told reporters during a news conference. More Briefing

Marines Take Steps to Return Fallujah to Iraqi Police Control

Statement on Najaf - April 26, 2004

By Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III
Administrator, Coalition Provisional Authority

"A dangerous situation is developing in Najaf, one that is putting all the law abiding citizens of that holy city at even greater risk. Weapons are being stockpiled in mosques, shrines, and schools. This explosive situation cannot be tolerated by those who seek a peaceful resolution to this crisis. The Coalition certainly will not tolerate this situation. The restoration of these holy places to calm places of worship must begin immediately."

Defense Leaders Speak

President George W. Bush

"September the 11th was a tough hurdle to overcome. We will overcome it because we're a strong, resolute nation. And we will overcome it by staying on the offensive and bringing these killers to justice before they harm America again."

Remarks in Minneapolis, Minn., April 26, 2004

Vice President Richard B. Cheney

"Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. Many of them have seen hard duty, long deployments, and fierce fighting. They've endured the loss of friends and comrades. And they are unwavering in their mission. They are proving every day that when we send them to defend this nation and our interests, we are sending the very best of the United States of America."

Remarks in Indianapolis, Ind., April 23, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Defense Dept. Works to
Speed Up Military Mail System

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — Acknowledging that problems persist in the military mail system, Defense Department officials said they are taking steps to improve the process. A report this month by the General Accounting Office, which oversees government agencies and spending, said long-standing problems with military mail delivery need to be resolved. More

Roadside Bomb
Injures Marines

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — Coalition officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, provided details today on some weekend operations and upcoming community events.
Three Marines were injured, one seriously, when a roadside bomb detonated alongside their convoy April 24 near the village of Daylanor in Kandahar province. The injured Marines were taken to a military hospital at Kandahar Air Field. More

. Maps of Afghanistan

Defense Officials Announce
Change-in-Status of Soldier

      WASHINGTON, April 24, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of a soldier previously listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
    Sgt. Elmer C. Krause, 40, of Greensboro, N.C., has been unaccounted for since April 9, in Iraq, when his convoy came under attack by individuals using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. On April 23 his remains were recovered. Sgt. Krause was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 724th Transportation Company, Bartonville, Ill.
     The incident remains under investigation.

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

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

Radio

Television

Country star Tracy Bird jams with his band during his performance at the 4th Infantry Division welcome home party, April 22, 2004, at Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Army photo by Mollie Miller 4 More Photos

Pope C-130s Supply
Beans and Bullets to Terror War

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — They like to think of themselves as the "18- wheeler trucks" that supply the front lines in the war on terror. C-130 Hercules aircraft crews from the 2nd and 41st Airlift Squadrons at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., deliver food, ammunition and troops throughout Southwest Asia.
"We can land anywhere," said Capt. Andy McGee, assistant director of operations and a C-130 pilot for the 2nd Airlift Squadron. More

$300K Targeted for
East Baghdad Neighborhoods

AL THAWRA DISTRICT, Baghdad, Iraq, April 26, 2004 — More than $300,000 will be pumped into eastern Baghdad neighborhoods, as a variety of coalition civil affairs projects get under way, according to Combined Joint Taks Force 7 officials.
"This past week, the Coalition committed more than $300,000 to projects ranging from trash and debris [removal] to [the] publication of [an] English/Arabic newspaper, and renovations of an Iraqi middle school," said Capt. Brian Donnelly, a civil affairs advisor for units in Eastern Baghdad. More

Officials Tour Iraqi Cities to
Begin Work on Reconstruction Projects

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2004 — Officials from the Coalition Provisional Authority's Program Management Office have embarked on a seven-city tour of central and northern Iraq to meet with local leaders and to discuss and begin work on the reconstruction projects slated for their areas.
A coalition news release said representatives of the CPA, Iraqi ministries and the military will visit Mosul, Tikrit, Fallujah, Baquba, Ramadi, Samarra and Baghdad with lists of reconstruction projects slated to begin later this year. More

Fallujah Reconstruction Funds Await Restored Security

Iraqis Control Ministry of Science, Technology

Marine Reservists Work with Iraqi Communities

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

AL ASAD, Iraq, April 25, 2004 — The events occurring behind the scenes of the "winning the hearts and minds" campaign are now unfolding with the help of three Marine reservists with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. They work in what has become known as "the mayor cell." More

Powell Praises Netherlands
For Peacekeeping Role in Iraq

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2004 — Secretary of State Colin Powell praised the 1,300 Dutch peacekeepers currently in the Iraqi province of Al Muthanna and said the United States is "very pleased that the Netherlands made this kind of commitment to the cause of peace and stability in that part of the world." More

Powell Lauds El Salvador's Help in Iraq

Bulgarian Prime Minister Visits Troops

BABYLON, Iraq, April 25, 2004 — The President of Bulgaria, Georgi Purvanov, visited Bulgarian troops of the Multinational Division Center-South April 25, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials.
During the visit, Mr. Purvanov visited two Coalition bases and met with the Commanding General of the division, Maj. Gen. Mieczyslaw Bieniek. He was also briefed about the division's structure and mission and the role of the Bulgarian troops in fulfilling that mission.

War on Terrorism

. U.S. Urges Adoption of Resolution on WMD

. Singapore Vows Commitment to Global War on Terrorism

. Terror War Demonstrates Need to Update Doctrine

Iraq

. Bremer Speaks to Iraqis About Security, New Iraq, Fallujah

. Iraq Transition Deadline Important, Powell Tells Norwegian Press

. 4th Infantry Div. Commander Recounts War in Iraq Moments

. Fallujah Has 'Days, Not Weeks' To Honor Peace Settlement

. Fallujah Has Long History of 'Wild West' Lawlessness

. Bush: U.S. Won't 'Cut and Run' From Iraqi Freedom Mission

Military News

. Some Soldiers Get Reenlistment Bonuses

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Officials
Identify Casualties

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of two Marines, two sailors, one coast guardsman and four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.. More

Maritime Interdiction
Exercise Concludes

MEDITERRANEAN SEA, April 23, 2004 (NNS) — The Proliferation Security Initiative multilateral maritime interdiction training exercise, Clever Sentinel 2004, kicked off April 19, and ended with a major operation that simulated the interception of a ship carrying weapons of mass destruction in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Sicily, April 22. More

Pentagon Memorial
Fund Launches Campaign

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2004 — The Pentagon Memorial Fund campaign was officially launched April 22. Almost $30 million is being solicited, according to a news release from the Washington, D.C., public relations firm handling fund-raising on a pro bono basis. More

Military Phone Card
Donation Program Goes Public

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today that any American can now help troops in contingency operations call home. The “Help Our Troops Call Home” program is designed to help servicemembers call home from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Profile

U.S. Marine Corps
Gunnery Sgt. Therester A. Cox

Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Therester A. Cox, platoon sergeant for B Company, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, updates the table of organization charts for an upcoming deployment to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Cox was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant April 2, for his outstanding leaderships abilities and overall accomplishments in his Marine Corps career. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Matthew K. Hacker

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., April 26, 2004 — An extremely hardworking and motivated platoon sergeant for B Company, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group, was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant April 2. More

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Smith

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq, April 26, 2004 — It was his father’s greatest military experience - flying the UH-60 Blackhawk. In the span of less than an hour, it became his greatest military memory as well. Staff Sgt. Jason Smith, deployed here from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, re-enlisted while flying in the tactical transport helicopter. More

More Profiles

In Iraq

Duty Going to the Dogs

Cpl. Gary D. Harwell and Oscar, a Belgian Malinois military working dog, run through a day's training session at Camp Al Asad, Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Macario P. Mora Jr.

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq, April 23, 2004 — Oscar isn't what most Marines would call a team player. "That dog is unlike the others," said Pfc. Theodore J. Randolph, a provisional military policeman for Regimental Combat Team 7. "You think he's nice but in an instance he'll turn on you. He's a lot like Cpl. Harwell." More

In Djibouti

Marines Return to Element

ARTA PLAGE, Djibouti, April 26, 2004 — Dust billowed up from the hot desert floor beneath the shuffling of combat boots as shots rang out across Range CT-1 here recently as Marine infantrymen assaulted the range, bounding over the rocky terrain to engage their dug-in enemy targets.
The Marines used their day off from providing force protection aboard Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, to get back to infantrymen basics and train some of their younger warriors for leadership positions they will likely assume when the company returns from this deployment. More

'On The Ground' Archive