DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 05/07/2004

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May 07, 2004

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CLEARING THE AREA — Soldiers ensure an area near Logistical Supply Area Anaconda in Iraq is clear of innocent civilians before an Air Force team calls for an air strike, May 4, 2004. The soldiers, assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, work closely with the Air Force and other services during Operation Iraqi Freedom. U. S. Army photo

Defense Secretary Accepts
Responsibility for Abu Ghraib

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2004 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld accepted full responsibility for "the terrible activities that occurred at Abu Ghraib."
The secretary said the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the prison in Iraq "occurred on my watch, and as secretary of defense I am accountable for them, and I take full responsibility." More

Soldier Killed, Two Others Wounded in Baghdad Attack

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

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2004 — Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be responsible for the latest death of a U.S. soldier, Coalition Provisional Authority officials said at a Baghdad news conference today.
Military spokesman Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said one soldier was killed and two others were wounded May 6 by a suicide car bomber at a military checkpoint in Baghdad. More

BUSH EXPRESSES REGRETS

President Calls Abuse 'Stain' On Nation’s Honor, Reputation

By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 — President Bush called cases of abuse of Iraqi prisoners "a stain on our country's honor and our country's reputation" and said he told Jordanian King Abdullah II during their meeting today that he is sorry for the humiliation suffered by the prisoners as well as their families.
Speaking with Abdullah in the White House Rose Garden, Bush said he also told the king he is also sorry that many of the people who saw photographs of cruelty and humiliation toward Iraqi prisoners don't understand "the true nature and heart of America" — an America, he said, that was "sickened" by the images. More Remarks

Bush, Jordanian King Pledge Unity in Facing Terror Threat

By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 — President Bush and Jordanian King Abdullah II vowed today to continue working together to rid the Middle East of terrorism and other threats to safety, freedom and prosperity in the region.
"The fall of Saddam Hussein removed a source of instability and intimidation from the heart of the Middle East," Bush said at a joint White House news conference. More Remarks

Bush Requests Additional
$25 Billion for Defense

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 — President Bush is asking Congress to establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund to meet additional demands on troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as those serving elsewhere in support of the global war against terrorism. More

Public Service
Recognition Week Kicks Off

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 — Federal, state and local government employees – including military members at home and overseas – are selflessly performing vital and important work for a better tomorrow, a senior U.S. official said. More

Defense Leaders Speak

Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz

"The fear that is instilled by a thousand or tens of thousands of such acts of brutality is not a fear that goes away overnight. It is a fear that we are still contending with in Iraq, and it is a fear that our enemy works every day to instill in the minds of Iraqis."

World Affairs Council of Greater Philadelphia,
May 6, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Air Force Nurses Provide
Key Support in War on Terror

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 (AFPN) — Air Force nurses have provided tremendous support in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, treating more than 200,000 patients throughout Southwest Asia, Maj. Gen. Barbara C. Brannon told the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense April 28. More

Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. Both soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Killed were Spc. James E. Marshall, 19, of Tulsa, Okla. and Pfc. Bradley G. Kritzer, 18, of Irvona, Penn.

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Radio

Television

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

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

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
Pushes Deeper into Afghanistan

By U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Eric Dent

Marines from A Co., BLT 1/6, prepare to patrol after a helicopter insert into central Afghanistan. The Marines are part of the 22d MEU (SOC) operating in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force 180. Photo by: Cpl. Jemssy Alvarez

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan, May 6, 2004 — Marine helicopters swooped into the central Afghanistan valley and dropped off Marines from the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), marking the unit's second major push into Afghanistan earlier this week.
The Marines arrived in Afghanistan last month and have now moved deeper into the country to establish a Forward Operating Base to support combat and civil-military operations primarily in the Oruzgan province. More

Women in Iraq's Civil Defense Corps 5 More Photos

Female members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corp learn proper drill techniques from a member of the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, at the Camp Bonzai Forward Operating Base in Baghdad, April 28, 2004. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ricky A. Bloom Photo Essay Archive

Italian Troops Continue Humanitarian Aid Projects

AN NASIRIYAH, Iraq, May 7, 2004 — Despite attacks by anti-Coalition insurgents, Italian soldiers in Iraq continue humanitarian aid projects throughout the Dhi Gar province, according to Combined Joint Task Force 7 officials.
A recently-completed project restructured the electrical network at the An Nasiriyah railway station, granting more dependable power to local railways. More

Italians Provide Water Purification System, Kits to Iraqis

Army’s Top Sergeant, Families
Talk Iraq Deployment Extension

WIESBADEN ARMY AIRFIELD, Germany, May 6, 2004 (Army News Service) — Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston’s visit to Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Germany, May 4 was a homecoming of sorts.
Preston, the Army’s top enlisted soldier, came to discuss current issues with Family Readiness Group members from 5th Corps’ 1st Armored Division and the 104th Area Support Group. A large number of questions revolved around Army policies on keeping soldiers on deployments longer than originally planned. More

Alert Illinois Guardsmen Spot Explosive

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 6, 2004 (Army News Service) — “BOOM!” The car exploded and there was nothing left but nuts and bolts.
April 12 started out as an average day for Staff Sgt. David Jensen and Sgt. Bruce Hartman of Fox Battery, 202nd Air Defense Artillery, part of the Illinois National Guard, attached to the 1st Cavalry Division. Then it happened. A broken down car was parked on their patrol route. More

Team Works to Polish 'Jewel' of Kabul

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ron Burke / 211th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 7, 2004 — Two enlarged black-and-white photographs on top of a storage cabinet caught the attention of everyone in the classroom. The photos date back to the 1960s and the frayed edges and bronze tinting added to the mystique of Kabul University’s College of Pharmacy.
Now, after 24 years of war and instability, the university is in the midst of a recovery program. More

Operation Enduring Freedom
Reunites Mother, Daughter

Spc. Katherine Storlie (left), 551st Military Police Company., and her mother, Sgt. 1st Class Jannette Wildfong, 485th Medical Detachment, were reunited at Bagram Air Base. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Chris Stump

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 7, 2004 — There are many parents who are concerned for their deployed children. And there are many children who feel the same about their parents. Very few can jump in a vehicle and drive to see their deployed family and see how they’re doing.
Of course, there are some exceptions — like Sgt. 1st Class Jannette Wildfong and her daughter, Spc. Katherine Storlie, who are both stationed in Afghanistan. More

War on Terrorism

• Wolfowitz Discusses War on Terror, Iraq, Saddam

• U.S. Counterterrorism Official Reports Progress to Africans

• Seminar to Focus on Terror Threats, Response

• Guard, Reserve Critical to Homeland Defense Capabilities

Iraq

. Former Anti-Saddam Activist Named as New Najaf Governor

. Coalition Forces Take Steps to Improve Oil Terminal Security

. Military Will Examine 'Every Facet' of Iraq Prisoner Abuse

. Abu Ghraib Abuse 'Abhorrent,' Bush Tells Arab News Services

. Rumsfeld: Iraq Prison Abuse 'Unacceptable, Un-American'

. Iraq Detainees Getting Proper Care, Assures Military Official

Military News

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Celebrity Chef Visits
Pearl Harbor Ship

Celebrity Chef Roy Yamaguchi dishes up lunch during a visit to the Pearl Harbor-based guided missile frigate USS CrommelinU.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jim Williams

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, May 6, 2004 (NNS) — Culinary specialists aboard the Pearl Habor-based USS Crommelin hosted celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi April 30, to share tips on food preparation and a love of cooking. More

Girl Scouts Send Taste of
Home to Deployed Troops

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif., May 6, 2004 — Marines and sailors celebrated with the Girl Scouts and San Diego community members with the shipment of more than 125,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and handwritten notes to thousands of American troops serving in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq as part of Operation Thin Mint during an April 26 ceremony. More

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Profile

U.S. Navy
Lt. Cmdr. Chris Cassidy

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., May 7, 2004 — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced May 6 that Lt. Cmdr. Chris Cassidy, a Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) assigned to a locally based SEAL team, was selected for NASA’s Astronaut Program.
The announcement was made during a Space Day ceremony hosted at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. More

U.S. Air Force Chief
Master Sgt. (Ret.) Wayne Fisk

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Fisk displays a flag presented to him by two pararescue airmen who rappelled from a helicopter during a ceremony naming a park here in his honor April 28. U.S. Air Force photo by Carl Bergquist

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala., May 7, 2004 — The monument tells the story of an airman who earned two Silver Stars, a Defense Superior Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 18 Air Medals. A park here now bears his name. More

More Profiles

Afghan Honored for
Human Rights Work

NEW YORK, May 6, 2004 — A 28-year-old Afghan man has been recognized for his courage and determination in pursuing human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of Afghan women and children, with a 2004 Reebok Human Rights Award at a gala ceremony May 5. More

. Maps of Afghanistan

In Iraq

Signal Soldiers Ensure
Clear Communications

Task Force 1-37 Armor signal officer, 2nd Lt. Scott Paul, carries hanks of computer network cable and a case of Meals, Ready to Eat, during set up operations for the task force’s communications systems. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Meissner

WITH TASK FORCE 1-37, Iraq, May 7, 2004 — In war, communication lines are just as important as battle lines. When Task Force 1-37 Armor arrived at Camp Lima they found the Polish forces already inhabiting the camp had already set up a good foundation for the task force’s signal operations. More

In Turkey

Incirlik Supports Enduring
Freedom Troop Transit

Soldiers supporting Operation Enduring Freedom arrive at Incirlik Air Base for a brief layover April 29. U.S. Airforce photo by Senior Airman Michelle Miranda

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey, May 7, 2004 (USAFENS) — While the spotlight has been focused lately on Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom’s global war on terrorism still quietly continues in Afghanistan. More

In Afghanistan

Command Keeps
Supplies Moving

Sgt. Ronald Peters, Lightning Task Force 725, directs a truck, while a crane hoists a Humvee overhead. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Frank Magni

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 7, 2004 — Throughout the Army, soldiers filling a transportation or supply job typically fall under division support commands, corps support groups or transportation units. But as the Combined Joint Task Force-180 has adapted to operations in Afghanistan, so have the soldiers from these traditional support units, coming together to make the Joint Logistics Command. More

'On The Ground' Archive