DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 05/17/2004

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May 17, 2004

Armed Forces Day 2004 - A Tradition of Heroes

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GIVING DIRECTIONS — U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Richard Ottens, a crew chief with the 107th Fighter Squadron homebased at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., gives instruction on which taxiway to use for the day's armed reconnaissance mission at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, May 10, 2004. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Glenn Wilkewitz

Bremer: Slain Iraqi Leader a
'Constant Source of Strength'

By John D. Banusiewicz / American Forces Press Service

     WASHINGTON, May 17, 2004 — A suicide car bomb claimed the lives of the Iraqi Governing Council president and at least four other Iraqis outside the Coalition Provisional headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, today.
     Ezzidin Salim is the highest-ranking Iraqi official to be assassinated since the country's liberation. Eight people - six Iraqis and two U.S. soldiers - were wounded in the attack, officials said.
     Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, CPA administrator, called Salim's death "a shocking and tragic loss" and expressed condolences to the slain leader's family. More

Powell Confident United States Will 'Stay the Course' in Iraq

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

     WASHINGTON, May 16, 2004 — Secretary of State Colin Powell said today he is confident the United States will stay the course in Iraq.
     He said that President Bush has already made it clear this nation will not "cut and run."
     "We expect that the Iraqi interim government that will come into place on the first of July would certainly ask us to remain and help them stay the course," Powell said on NBC's "Meet The Press."  More

Former 101st Leader Accepts New Iraqi Security Mission

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

     WASHINGTON, May 16, 2004 — With Iraqi sovereignty less than two months away, the man who commanded the 101st Airborne Division the first year of the Iraq war is up for an enormous, new challenge.
     Army Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who stepped down as commanding general of the Fort Campbell, Ky.-based division May 14, will be heading back to Iraq in the next few weeks to oversee training of Iraqi security personnel.
     In an interview on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer" today, Petraeus said his newest mission is an enormous challenge, but it's not "mission impossible."  More

Defense Leaders Speak

Gen. Richard B. Myers
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

"Those serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America stand between liberty and tyranny, as they have for over two centuries. You have proven to the world that the United States and our allies seek not to conquer, but to defend freedom, restore peace and create hope for a better future."

Armed Forces Day Message, May 14, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Defense Officials
Identify Casualties

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2004 — Defense Department officials have announced the identities of two soldiers who died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. More

Probe Says Tornado Jet Downed
In 'Perceived Self-Defense'

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2004 — A U.S. Patriot missile crew in Iraq downed a British Royal Air Force Tornado attack fighter jet in "perceived self-defense," U.S. Central Command's investigation of the March 22, 2003, incident has concluded. More

Honoring the Fallen

Battalion Honors 'No Better Friend'

Navy Cmdr. Bill D. Devine, 1st Marine Division Chaplain, pays his respects to Lance Cpl. Jeremiah E. Savage during a memorial service here May 15. Twenty-one-year-old Savage, a gunner with 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Mobile Assault Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, was killed by an improvised explosive device May 12 as he patrolled the streets of Ramadi. USMC photo by Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald

CAMP HURRICANE POINT, Iraq, May 15, 2004 — Lance Cpl. Jeremiah E. Savage, gunner with 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Mobile Assault Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, couldn't wait to get home to meet his newborn son.
He was struck down by an improvised explosive device May 12 during a routine patrol through the streets of Ramadi. More

Memorial Service
Honors Arkansas Guardsman

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 15, 2004 — "This is a day that I've come to dread, ever since I took command," said Lt. Col. Kendall Penn, commander of the 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, 39th Brigade Combat Team, during the fourth memorial service held by the 39th Brigade since its troops deployed in March. More

Radio

Television

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

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

Remembering Fallen Marines 6 More Photos

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Wesley Barnes of 1st Platoon, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, listens as Marines honor Cpl. Dustin H. Schrage and Cpl. Jeffrey G. Green during a memorial service at Camp Snake Pit, Iray, May 11. The two corporals went missing while crossing the Euphrates River during a combat patrol May 3. Their bodies were recovered May 6. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva Photo Essay Archive

Marines to Distribute
Gear for Iraqi Media

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq, May 16, 2004— Marines from 1st Marine Division and the Spirit of America charity are working together to help build Iraq's "unbiased" media infrastructure.
According to Lt. Col. John Lutkenhouse, the division's plans officer for economic development, the Los Angeles-based charity donated more than $80,000 in audio and video production equipment. More

Coalition Efforts Improve
Life for Al Anbar Residents

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq, May 16, 2004 — A variety of Coalition initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for residents of the Al Anbar province are currently underway.
A Fallujah Liaison Team is evaluating contractors to manage a 1,200-man cleanup and restoration contract. Coalition leaders expect that workforce to increase as contractors get settled and increase their hiring capacity. Currently, the total workforce employed by Coalition-led projects in Fallujah is 2,880. More

Marines Get Well Deserved Rest

By Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes / 1st Marine Division

Army Spc. Elizabeth Jarry, a dental hygienist at Balad Air Base, Iraq, shows villagers of all ages how to brush their teeth during a recent Medical Civic Action Project at a small village in Balad. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant David Gillespie

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 14, 2004 — It's time for a bit of easy living for the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. At least as easy as it gets at the base camp here.
The battalion, assigned to the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, pulled back into their base camp near Fallujah after more than a week of field operations in the city of Zadan. The break in operations gave the Marines time to recoup and refit. More

Afghan Officers Visit West Point

By U.S. Army Spc. Eric S. Bartelt

WEST POINT, N.Y., May 14, 2004 (Army News Service) — Three Afghan officers from the National Military Academy of Afghanistan visited West Point April 30 through May 8.
The Afghan commander, dean and admissions officer got a firsthand look at academy life, from academics to dining facilities. More

Afghan Soldiers Recognized for Battle

By Staff Sgt. Kelly McCargo / Office Military Coordination - Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 14, 2004 — More than 300 Afghan National Army soldiers were recognized by the Afghan National Army Central Corps commander during a 1st “Commando” Battalion, 3rd Brigade (Quick Reaction Force) Recognition Ceremony, April 26 at the Pol-e-charki soccer field.
On three separate occasions, the commandos successfully repelled ambushes by al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgent forces and coordinated retaliatory assaults, during a three-month force presence mission in southern Afghanistan from February through April. More

War on Terrorism

. President Thanks Troops for Efforts in War on Terrorism

. Kimmitt: Cleric’s Militia Has No Respect for Holy Sites

. New Commands to Replace Combined Joint Task Force

. Soldier to Face Court-Martial

. Request for $25 Billion to Cover Near-Term Expenses

Iraq

. Mortar Attack, Sniper Ambush Kill U.S. Soldiers in Iraqi City

. Official Reports on Review of Detention Center Operations

. Defense Secretary, Chairman Visit Iraq’s Abu Ghraib Prison

. U.S. Senate Resolution Condemns Abu Ghraid Abuse

. Troops Cheer Rumsfeld, Myers at Baghdad Town Hall Meeting

Military News

. Task Force Recommends Plan to Prevent Sexual Assaults

. Veterans Affairs Reaches Out To Newest Combat Veterans

. Unit Activates to Prepare Volunteers for Special Forces Selection

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Commandant, Marine Spouses
Discuss Iraq Deployments

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., May 13, 2004 — Gen. Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, thanked military spouses for their spirit and patience May 6. "One year," was his response to a question about how long some Marines might stay in Iraq. Story

Marines Train for Iraq Deployment

Arizona Couple's Trucks
Salute Service Members

Ed Negrin discusses his trucks' red, white and blue design theme with Air Force Master Sgt. Cassandra White and Army Master Sgt. Bruce Allen May 14 in the Pentagon's center courtyard. Defense Dept. photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2004 — Arizona entrepreneurs Ed Negrin and his wife, Tonie, are self-described patriots who've decorated several trucks they own with red, white and blue motifs to show their support for U.S service members. More

Armed Services YMCA
Names 'Volunteer of the Year'

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2004 — An Army medic, his wife and four young children came here from Fort Drum, N.Y., May 13 to be honored as the Armed Services YMCA "Volunteer of the Year" during the organization's 17th annual recognition luncheon on Capitol Hill. More

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

"All of us are truly grateful for your sacrifice and service. May God richly bless and protect you." Karl Duff and family, Canton, GA

Send a Message Read Messages

Sign the Online Thank You Note

. Maps of Afghanistan

Profile

U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Dale Scherberger

Armed Services YMCA "Volunteer of the Year," Army Staff Sgt. Dale Scherberger poses with retired Army Maj. Gen. Donald Infante after being presented a YMCA plaque during the organization's 17th annual recognition luncheon on Capitol Hill. Infante is the YMCA's chief executive officer. Defense Dept. photo by Rudi Williams

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2004 — An Army medic, his wife and four young children came here from Fort Drum, N.Y., May 13 to be honored as the Armed Services YMCA "Volunteer of the Year" during the organization's 17th annual recognition luncheon on Capitol Hill. More

More Profiles

In Afghanistan

Engineers Build Showers
For Ghazni Soldiers

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 14, 2004 — Sixty-six days is the longest a soldier from 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment is rumored to have gone without a shower. More

In Djibouti

Old Guard Soldiers
Conduct Missions at Sea

Soldiers from Bravo Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," and Marines and sailors from the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa are suspended over the Indian Ocean by a MH 60-S helicopter during a Special Purpose Insertion and Extraction training exercise launched from the USS Wasp. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Eric M. McKeeby

ABOARD THE USS WASP, May 13, 2004 — On a deployment packed with diverse missions for the Army’s oldest active infantry unit, soldiers from Bravo Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” recently boarded the USS Wasp for combat training and tactical missions at sea. More

'On The Ground' Archive

PARADE REST — U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, stand at parade rest before honoring the memory of Lance Cpl. Jeremiah E. Savage with a 21-gun salute during a memorial service at Camp Hurricane Point, Iraq, May 15. Savage, from Livingston, Tenn., died May 12, 2004, after an improsived explosive device attack in the city of Ramadi. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald