DefendAmerica - U.S. Defense Dept. War on Terror: 07/13/2004

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Jul 13, 2004

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CAR WASH — U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kathy Manley washes a vehicle at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. She is assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's vehicle operations section and is deployed from the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Demetrius Lester

Night Aerial Drop Resupplies Marines

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RIPLEY, Afghanistan, July 13, 2004 — Marines in combat still need supplies, so when Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit needed it most, help came from a rare place ... 450 feet above their heads. Story

Bush Cites Success Against WMD, Terror

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2004 — President Bush cited Libya's agreement to stop building weapons of mass destruction as evidence that the United States and its coalition allies are making steady progress in the war on terror. Story

Families from Bahrain Arrive in Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va., July 12, 2004 — About 275 family members of U.S. military and Defense Department personnel living in Bahrain have arrived at Naval Station Norfolk after being evacuated from Bahrain due to the risk of terrorist attacks. Story

A Daughter's Commitment, A Mother's Pride

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Heather L. Smith, now serving with the 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Balad Air Base in Iraq, recently sent a letter of "encouragement" to her mother Belinda back home in Lancaster, Pa.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Heather L. Smith and her mother, Belinda Smith. Defense Dept. photo by retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Bud Schroll

Hi Mom,
I have a little time this morning, so I just wanted to give you some words of insight and encouragement: First off, we view the attacks here as piddling efforts by a cowardly enemy. They aren't accurate, they aren't very efficient, and we know that they are just attempting to scare us, or wear down our morale, or make us think that we cannot fully accomplish our mission. But they could not be more wrong. Story

Defense Leaders Speak

President George W. Bush

"Our goal is a lasting, democratic peace, in which free nations are free from the threat of sudden terror. Our strategy for peace has three commitments: First, we are defending the peace by taking the fight to the enemy. ... Second, we're protecting the peace by working with friends and allies and international institutions to isolate and confront terrorists and outlaw regimes. Third, we are extending the peace by supporting the rise of democracy, and the hope and progress that democracy brings, as the alternative to hatred and terror in the broader Middle East. "

Oak Ridge, Tenn., July 12, 2004

2,000 Employed in Largest
Employment Project to Date

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 13, 2004 — First Cavalry Division on July 10 broke ground on the Al Boetha landfill, a $35 million project which will be the largest employment effort in 5th Brigade Combat Team's area of operation, providing jobs for 2,000 Iraqi workers. Story

New Iraqi Reconstruction Archive

Course Trains Airmen to
Drive Convoys for Army

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2004 — Riding in a truck through Iraq, manning a weapon and facing armed adversaries is not a scenario many Air Force vehicle operators thought they would see. But that is exactly what more than 500 of these Airmen are doing -- driving convoys for the Army supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Story

Military Photographers on the Frontlines Flash Slide Show

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

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

Marines Give Iraqi Man New Spring in Step

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq, July 12, 2004 — Mohammed Jadaam thought he'd never walk again after losing his leg following an improvised explosive device attack in Ramadi last year. Story

Australian Defense Chief Visits Troops

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 12, 2004 — Australian Defence Force chief, Gen. Peter Cosgrove, returned today from a three-day visit to Australian personnel deployed to the Middle East serving in Operation Catalyst, Australia's military contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. Story

Iron Soldiers: Iraq Mission Complete

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 9, 2004 — Task Force 1st Armored Division is on the way home after 15 months of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The division and task force marked some major “firsts” during the deployment. For soldiers of the 1st Armored Division, this was longest deployment of any division in Iraq. Story

Task Force Operations Totals

. 758 Battalion Level Combat Operations

. 2,709 Enemy Captured

Weapons & Ammunition Captured

. 432 Rockets

. 33,854 Artillery/Mortar Rounds

. 229 Rocket/Mortar Tubes

. 68 Surface-to-air missiles More

Community Investments Spur Agriculture in Taji

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 12, 2004 — More than $1.3 million has been invested in community enhancement projects in the Taji, according to Multinational Force Iraq officials. Story

GRADUATION DAY — Thirty-nine Iraqi female basic trainees celebrate being the second class to graduate a 10-week basic training course at the Royal Jordanian Military College in Zarkha, Jordan on July 8, 2004. U.S. Air Force photo by
Staff Sgt. Ashley Brokop

Going Home to War

ZARQA MILITARY TRAINING BASE, Jordan, July 12, 2004 — In the rolling, arid hills northeast of Amman, Iraqi soldiers for the past 10 weeks have prepared to go to war. These soldiers are different - they are women, and unlike their brothers and sisters in arms worldwide, they are preparing to leave for a war, a war that will not take them to far-flung foreign lands, but rather a war that is being fought in their own backyard. More

USS Kearsarge Offloads Marines in Gulf

ARABIAN GULF, July 12, 2004 — USS Kearsarge began offloading elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Arabian Gulf July 7, reaching the mid-point of its surge mission to the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility. Story

U.S. Army Sgt. James Stamper with the 369th Engineer Detachment removes the yellow ribbon attached to the flag at the East Bank Fire Department in West Virginia, where he is a volunteer fireman. Stamper's fellow firefighters posted the yellow ribbon in his honor during his deployment to Iraq, they recently welcomed him home following a deployment of more than one year. Courtesy photo 3 More Photos

Of Lawn Movers, Laundry and Going it Alone

By Heidi Home Alone

This vignette describes the trials and triumphs of spouses of deployed service members. It is one of several we will present, authored by a group of 1st Cavalry Division spouses who write under the pen name “Heidi Home Alone.”

FORT HOOD, Texas, July 9, 2004 — Lady, you're on your own for a year. That's what the slogan “Army of One” really means to the spouse of a deployed soldier. Seriously, deployment is not meant to be bad, it's just Murphy's Law. Story

War on Terrorism

. Patience Key to Success in War on Terror

. Wolfowitz Praises Strategic Command

• Detainee Status Review Tribunals to Begin

. Defense Dept. to Assist Security Efforts

Iraq

. Four Marines, One Soldier Die in Iraq

. Tongans Join Marines in Al Anbar Province

. Iraqis Will Help Government End Violence

Military News

• Army Seeks Departing Airmen, Sailors

. Iraq, Afghan Rotation Plans Announced

. National Guard, Reserve Update

Honoring the Fallen

TAKING CHANCE HOME — The casket of Marine Pfc. Chance Phelps is taken to the cemetery in a horse-drawn carriage driven by Robin Wiltshire on April 17, 2004 in Dubois, Wyo. Photo courtesy of Sarah Beth Barnett/Casper Star-Tribune Story

Marines Remember Four
Killed in Ar Ramadi

CAMP COMBAT OUTPOST, Iraq, July 10, 2004 — The circumstances behind the deaths of Cpl. Tommy L. Parker and Lance Cpls. Pedro Contreras, Juan Lopez and Deshon E. Otey remain a mystery, but Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment had the opportunity to say goodbye to their fallen comrades July 9. Story

Battalion Honors Their
Fallen Before Leaving Iraq

Portrait Studio Customers Say
Thanks with Scrapbooks, Support

ST. LOUIS — To demonstrate the heartfelt appreciation that America's families have for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world, Sears Portrait Studio is creating hundreds of hometown scrapbooks featuring portraits of customers, families and friends. Scrapbooks will be distributed for Thanksgiving to troops in all branches serving overseas. Story

Bragg Soldiers’ Trek to Help
Families of Fallen Troops

FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 9, 2004 — When two Fort Bragg noncommissioned officers decided to visit the Statue of Liberty, they could have just chartered a plane or hopped a bus. Staff Sgt. George Hinestrosa and Sgt. George J. Floyd III will run, ruck-march, bike and boat 600 miles to raise money for the families of service members killed in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Story

Sign an On-line Thank You Note

Profile

U.S. Air Force
Maj. Phuong Tran

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., July 13, 2004 — Maj. Phuong Tran holds a deep appreciation for America. In 1975, at age 11, Tran, his family, and hundreds of other Vietnamese families fled Saigon, Vietnam, to escape communism. Story

More Profiles

In Iraq

Marines Training
Tackles Chemical Threat

CAMP MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq, July 8, 2004 — Chemical threats for Marines in Iraq haven't been a leading concern since combat operations last year, but that doesn't mean anyone is letting their guard down. Story

In Southwest Asia

Total-Force Wing Delivers
Airlift, Multi-Service Support

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 13, 2004 — Airmen assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing are providing airlift resupply operations to forward-deployed troops, ensuring they have what they need for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Story

In Afghanistan

Supply Airmen Keep
Materials Rolling In

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, July 12, 2004 — When people think of supply support, the first item that comes to mind may not be water. Story

'On The Ground' Archive