DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 05/27/2004

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May 27, 2004

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SANDBAGS — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Barry English and Airman 1st Class Robert Ayres, both from the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, pass out sandbags that will secure a newly moved tent in the squadron compound, while deployed to Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Desiree N. Palacios

Marine Efforts in Iraq Help New Government Ensure Stability

By Jim Fisher-Thompson / State Dept. Washington File

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2004 — Marine combat troops, aviators and support personnel are helping to "roll up" terrorist networks in Iraq, making it easier for a new Iraqi government to ensure stability down the road, says Navy Secretary Gordon England within whose department the Marine Corps operates.
At the same time, England told a May 26 National Press Club luncheon, the U.S. Navy -- its ships and special operations forces -- will continue to fight terrorism abroad and provide security for the world's sea lanes through an expanded use of aircraft carriers worldwide. More

Threat Shows Terrorists Intend
'To Hit the United States Hard'

By Gerry J. Gilmore / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Two of the nation's top law enforcement officials today asked for help from state and local police and the public to stop a potential terror attack on the United States expected this summer or fall.
Credible intelligence, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told reporters at FBI headquarters here, "indicates that al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months." More

Garmisch Course Focuses
On Cooperating Against Terror

By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — If the global war on terrorism is going to be more than lip service to an ideal, then countries are going to have to learn to work together.
That's the impetus behind a new course being offered at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany. More

Al-Sadr Lieutenant Captured, Coalition Kills Mahdi Militiamen

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

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Coalition forces in Iraq captured a key lieutenant of radical Islamic cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf and killed a "large number" of Sadr's militia overnight in Sadr City, a senior coalition military official in Baghdad said today. More

Electricity Improving in Iraq

By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Along with the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people, June 30 is expected to mark another milestone in Iraq: electricity production at 6,000 megawatts. Retired Navy Rear Adm. David J. Nash, director of the Coalition Provisional Authority's Iraq Program Management Office in Baghad, told reporters that electricity production exceeds prewar levels and is steadily increasing. More

Powell Hails Senior Iraqi
Officials at Training Course

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Secretary of State Colin Powell has told senior Iraqi officials from the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Defense and Foreign Affairs that their leadership will be important for the future of Iraq. More

Ministry of Transport Assumes Full Sovereignty

Defense Leaders Speak

President George W. Bush

"We want there to be a complete and real transfer of sovereignty so that the Iraqi citizens realize the fate of their country is now their responsibility. And we'll be there to help. And we'll help in a variety of ways. We'll help by making sure our security forces are there to work with their security forces."

After a Meeting with Iraqis Receiving Medical Care in the United States, May 25, 2004

Defense Views

Quotes by U.S. defense leaders

Air Force B-1B Supports
French, Afghan Troops

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, May 26, 2004 (AFPN) — An Air Force B-1B Lancer dropped four Joint Direct Attack Munitions to help French and Afghan troops fighting against Taliban forces in Afghanistan on May 25. More

Operation Hero Helps
Troubled Military Kids

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Having a parent deployed or experiencing frequent
moves can be tough on a child, sometimes leading to social or academic problems
at school. Operation Hero is bringing after-school tutoring and mentoring assistance to 6- to 12-year-old children and helping each find the "hero" inside themselves. Story

'Listening' Service Reaches Out
To Grieving Military Families

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Sometimes the best help for someone who's lost a loved one is a caring person willing to listen as they talk out their feelings of anger, fear, sadness and grief. Operation Stephen's Touch launched this week to offer trained listeners for grieving military families. More

Quilts Provide Comfort to
Fallen Soldiers’ Families

FORT LEE, Va., May 26, 2004 — The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps honored Jessica Porter of “Quilts for Comfort” for her unwavering support of the U.S. armed forces and the families of those who will never return. More

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Radio

Television

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

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

Military Photographers on the Frontlines Flash Slide Show

Soldiers Rebuild Cities In Iraq While Fighting Insurgents, Terror

By Tam Cummings / Fort Hood Public Affairs

FORT HOOD, Texas, May 26, 2004 — Soldiers fighting insurgents and terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom are also busy erecting educational, governmental, internal security and agricultural systems from the ground up, in the most complex military operation Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno said he has ever been involved in.
“Our soldiers saw the condition of that country,” the commander of the 4th Infantry Division said recently. “We're not rebuilding a country, but building a country. There was no infrastructure, except in the palace complexes.” More

Task Force to Compensate Iraqis
Who Suffered Under Saddam

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — A special task force will oversee compensation of Iraqi citizens who suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime, Coalition Provisional Authority officials in Baghdad announced today.
Dan Senor, senior coalition spokesman, said Dr. Malik Dohan al-Hassan, president of the Iraqi Bar Association, has accepted an invitation to head the task force. More

30,000 Medical Books Distributed Throughout Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 26, 2004 — On May 24, the distribution of over 30,000 medical books and reference material to 46 medical hospitals, clinics and universities throughout Iraq began, according to Coalition Provisional Authority officials. More

Security Forces Protect Convoys Traversing Through Afghanistan

By Air Force Sgt. Jeff Szczechowski / 455th Expeditionary Operations Group

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 26, 2004 — Besides their more traditional role of providing installation security, airmen here assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron have taken on two other important combat-related responsibilities in support of the global war on terrorism.
Security forces airmen are providing security for convoy operations that maneuver over the rugged, and potentially hostile, Afghanistan landscape outside Bagram Air Base. More

Coast Guard Cutter Tampa Returns Home

PORTSMOUTH, Va., May 25, 2004 — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa is scheduled to pull into its home port of Portsmouth May 26 following a patrol spanning European ports.
Tampa departed Portsmouth March 27 and headed overseas to assist in efforts to combat terrorism and the terrorists that threaten peaceful nations around the world, as well as conduct training with their foreign counterparts. While in the Mediterranean and Black seas, Tampa also served alongside naval ships from the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet. More

Pain-Management Program to Aid Service Members Wounded in Battle

By Rudi Williams / American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Regional anesthesia, a technique that delivers local pain relief through a catheter, is gaining momentum as a pain-management technique for people wounded in battle.
"We're eventually going to move that concept out to the battlefield, where the anesthesiologist will be the pain management physician for the battlefield," noted Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Chester C. Buckenmaier III, chief of the regional anesthesia section at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Story

War on Terrorism

. Terrorist Exclusion List Authorized by USA Patriot Act

. Chairman Details Challenges, Risks Ahead in War on Terror

. President Praises Solidarity of U.S., Italians in Terror Fight

Iraq

• Sanchez's Reported Departure Is According to Rotation Plan

• President Lauds U.S. Troops in Iraq, Will Send More 'If Needed'

• Bush Outlines 5 Steps Toward Freedom, Democracy in Iraq

Military News

• Guard, Reserve Employer Support Awards Announced

• Words, Photos Relate 'Truths of War,' News Anchor Tells Class

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2004 — Defense Department officials announced today the death of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died May 25 in Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iskandariyah, Iraq, when their unit came under mortar attack. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 86th Field Artillery, from Williston, Vt.
Killed were: Spc. Alan N. Bean Jr., 22, of Bridport, Vt., and Sgt. Kevin F. Sheehan, 36, of Milton, Vt.

Coalition Troops Clash
With Anti-Coalition Militia

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 26, 2004 — Coalition forces on patrol south of Qalat in the Zabul Province encountered anti-coalition militia and a firefight ensued, May 25, 2004. Ground forces first called in air support for a show of force but when the enemy continued to engage, they upgraded their request to precision ordnance. More

Afghanistan Gets International
Support in Election Preparations

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2004 — The United States and the international community are working to facilitate Afghan national elections in September, demilitarize Afghan militias, and eradicate opium poppies as part of their commitment to the country's post-Taliban success. More

Bush, Karzai to Meet June 15

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

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Profile

U.S. Navy
Lt. Raul Barrientos

Navy Dental Officer Lt. Raul Barrientos, a native of El Salvador, provides care to a patient at U.S. Naval Dental Center Far East. U.S. Navy Photo by Tom Watanabe

YOKOSUKA, Japan, May 26, 2004 — Lt. Raul Barrientos, a Navy dentist, took an unusual spring “vacation” – a two-week humanitarian mission to El Salvador treating patients, teaching dentists and building bridges. More

U.S. Marine Corps
1st Lt. Andrew Riley and
Master Sgt. Ruben Jimenez

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Andrew Riley and
Master Sgt. Ruben Jimenez KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, May 26, 2004 — There's an old adage that everyone in the Marine Corps is separated by only two people – the so-called 'degrees of separation.' A recent encounter on the high seas proved that sometimes that separation is a bit narrower. More

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In Iraq

Airmen Destroy
Grenade Launchers

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq, May 25, 2004 (AFPN) — More than 600 rocket-propelled grenade launchers collected by coalition forces throughout southern Iraq were recently destroyed by airmen of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here. More

In Afghanistan

Air Support Center Keeps
Marines Ready to Strike

Marines with the Direct Air Support Squadron conduct a changeover at the end of a shift. These Marines augmented the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) as they formed Task Force Linebacker during combat and civil-military operations in Afghanistan.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan, May 26, 2004 — When Marines on the ground need air support in central Afghanistan, there are a few good men and women who came a long way to make it happen. More

'On The Ground' Archive