Good News From Our Soldiers in Iraq!

They Have My Back!

2007-05-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Shake it 3rd PLT Iraq

2007-05-11T11:03:00.001-07:00

Helos and Their Guns

2007-05-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Zebari: Don't Abandon Us

2007-05-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Zebari: Don't Abandon Us
Sunday, 06 May 2007
By Hoshyar Zebari
Foreign Minister of Iraq

Last weekend a traffic jam several miles long snaked out of the Mansour district in western Baghdad. The delay stemmed not from a car bomb closing the road but from a queue to enter the city's central amusement park. The line became so long some families left their cars and walked to enjoy picnics, fairground rides and soccer, the Iraqi national obsession.

Across the city, restaurants are slowly filling and shops are reopening. The streets are busy. Iraqis are not cowering indoors. The appalling death tolls from suicide attacks are often high because of crowding at markets. These days you are as likely to hear complaints about traffic congestion as about the security situation. Across Baghdad there is a cacophony of sirens from ambulances, firefighters and police providing public services. You cannot even escape the curse of traffic wardens ticketing illegally parked cars.

These small but significant snippets of normality are overshadowed by acts of gross violence, which fuel the opinion of some that Iraq is in a downward spiral. The Iraqi people are indeed suffering tremendous hardships and making grave sacrifices -- but daily life goes on for 7 million Baghdadis struggling to take back their capital and country.

Recently, at an international summit on the future of Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, my government asked the international community to maintain its engagement in our country to help us achieve our goals of security and stability. We recognize that our request conflicts with a plethora of voices decrying the situation in Iraq and those in the British and American publics who seek an expeditious withdrawal from a war they claim is all but lost.

So why should the world remain engaged in Iraq?

Read the rest of the article HERE

Freedom Facts

2007-05-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

In 2006, medical care improved in Iraq with the renovation of 15 hospitals. Each completed facility sees approximately 500 patients per day for a total of 11,000 patients nationwide.

10 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED, CACHE FOUND

2007-04-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

10 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED, CACHE FOUNDApr. 24, 2007
http://www.mnf-iraq.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 10 suspected terrorists and uncovered a cache of weapons in several operations in central Iraq Tuesday.

Three coordinated Coalition Forces raids apprehended 10 individuals suspected of operating with al-Qaeda in Iraq and facilitating foreign fighters southeast of Fallujah.

In Baghdad, Coalition Forces discovered a weapons cache containing rockets, mortars, terrorist propaganda and improvised explosive device-making materials. Explosive ordnance disposal teams neutralized the cache.

“We will continue to work diligently to eliminate foreign terrorists, who are killing innocent Iraqis every day and destabilizing the country,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

Load 'Em Up

2007-04-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

U.S. Army Soldiers move to the UH-60 Black Hawk after searching the area for items of interest during an aerial response force mission, Iraq, March 31. Soldiers are assigned to the 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

Sparks Flying

2007-04-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Cpl. Benjamin Meyer of Steven's Point, Wis., a combat engineer with Company A, 325th Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, uses a power saw to cut away storefront locks during an early morning raid on suspected sniper positions in Baghdadâ€™s Adhamiyah district, April 3.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor

Scanning for Weapons

2007-04-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

U.S. Army Spc. Douglas Harlan, left, and a fellow soldier conduct a cordon and search for weapons caches and insurgents in Old Baqubah, Iraq, April 2, 2007.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Clear the Room

2007-04-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

U.S. Army Soldiers breach a house to search for insurgent activities during an operation in Zaghiniyat, Iraq, March 29.

The mission is to rid an area of insurgent forces and to allow coalition forces freedom of movement throughout an area of operation. The Soldiers are with Charlie Troop, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joann Makinano.

Americans: A Challenge For You!

2007-04-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD GIRL SCOUT AND HER MOTHER'S CHALLENGE TO “THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES”:

I wanted to inform you of the challenge Zoa has began. See her attached letter to President Bush. Her letter is being circulated all over the US and she had a huge smile on her face when she found out this was occurring from emails returned to her.
Thursday on our way to my parents home, Zoa asked if we could stop at the Capitol Building and so we did. She took her challenge letter to the Governor’s office. She has challenged our Governor to be Patriotic and American.

The governor was not available But his aides were and Zoa got to be in the Governor’s personal office and pictures taken. DO YOU KNOW HOW PROUD THIS LITTLE AMERICAN IS?????? I like what she has came up with for an idea because our children pay taxes also. Every time they spend their allowance and buy something with their money they are taxed just as well.

I am saddened by the horrific acts that are not peaceful speech that is being ignored such as defacing our war and American monuments. The men and women of our current and past wars are being attacked by defacing many monuments across the United States, by BURNING A MANAQUIN OF AN AMERICAN SOLDIER IN A QUOTE PEACEFUL ANTI WAR DEMONSTRATION, AND BY HAVING PEOPLE SAY THEY ARE SPEAKING FOR US WHEN THEY ARE NOT SPEAKING FOR ME!!!!!! MANY MILITARY FAMILIES AND VETERANS AND SOLDIERS ARE BEING EFFECTED DRASTICALLY AND THAT IS NOT AMERICAN.AND TO CALL THEM BABY KILLERS IS NOT ALRIGHT!!!!

We have people now across America taking Zoa up on her challenge to be American, to be Patriotic, to SUPPORT OUR TROOPS and to BE AMERICAN SPEAK OUT CAUSE OUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY.

This needs attention now by anyone who lives in the United States. While we sit back and work everyday to try to achieve our American Dream the best way we can. The people who were voted into our CONGRESS have decided they are right and we the ones WHO voted them in their jobs are wrong.
TRADITION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE, BUT PEOPLE WHO DON’T LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE ARE CHANGING THIS GREAT COUNTRY FROM AMERICAN --HOME OF THE FREE!!!!!!!! HOME OF THE BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are thousands of clubs and organizations as well as almost everything to do with anything in the United States that these traditions are taught. Those trying to take this away from us are not as many as the media want to train us to think. This is America and I am tired of my life having to change for a few people who are speaking up and getting whatever they want no matter how ridiculous it is--AND MANY THINGS HAVE BEEN WAY PAST RIDIULOUS.
The Girl Scout Promise and Law are shared by every member of Girl Scouting. The Girl Scout Promise is the way Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and other people, and the Law outlines a way to act towards one another and the world.

I NOW CHALLENGE ALL AMERICANS----NO POLITICAL PARTY HERE--THE ONLY PARTY IS AN AMERICAN--Many organizations as well as Girl Scouts hold true to their oath and now need to speak up for what we do stand for as AMERICANS. ( esp.AMERICANS, VETERANS, ESPECIALLY COMBAT VETERANS, VFW’S, AM VETS, BOY SCOUTS, ALL VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS, GIRL SCOUTS , EAGLES, AND THOUSANDS MORE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE)

Help Zoa and others who live here in America to succeed with the challenge of Letting our troops know we support them. Write President Bush. THE TROOPS MIRACLE OF US BEING HEARD NEEDS TO GO TO THE TOP . Otherwise the miracle as Americans not being heard will continue until everything GOOD about AMERICA IS GONE.. ZOA IS OUR NEXT GENERATION OF CHILDREN THAT WILL SOMEDAY BE TAKING CARE OF US THE CITIZENS OF AMERICA.

THANK YOU,
ZOA’S MOM, JOYCE
( MOTHER, MEMBER OF GIRL SCOUTS, DAV AUXILLARY, CHARLIE COMPANY 2/16, NURSING ORGANIZATIONS, VVFW, WIFE OF NAM VET--REGISTERED VOTER)

___________________________________

ZOA'S LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH:

Zoa--Junior Juliette in Girl Scouts
State of Missouri
USA

My daddy served with the 1st Division, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry "Rangers", Charlie Company 65-66 Vietnam
April 5, 2007

President and Mrs. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and Mrs. Bush,

My name is Zoa and I am eleven years old. I am a Junior Juliette in the Girls Scouts. I am working on my “United We Stand Badge” and “Our Rights, Our Responsibilities Badge”. The last activity to finish my Rights and Responsibility badge is an activity that includes the right to be me, the right to learn, the right to be heard, the right to live in peace, to be happy and to work together.

I am my Daddy’s youngest daughter and he is a disabled Vietnam Veteran. My Grandpa is a World War 2 Veteran from the Navy in the south Pacific. They both fought to make sure I have rights. All of our soldiers do. The Veterans that served with my Daddy that I have met at the reunions my mother has for them every year fought also. Two soldiers who were with my Daddy in Vietnam, got Medals of Honor. I got to go to Dayton, Ohio a few years back to one of their Medal of Honor ceremonies. It was really fun. I learned a lot. There were many soldiers there.

I am enclosing $2.00 to go to our soldiers. They need to be thanked for protecting our freedoms as well as others. I want to challenge all the people who live here in the USA to stand up and be Americans and to write to you and to send you money for our soldiers and to support them. Its important to have respect and to show respect. I hope that they write many letters and mail lots of money to you at the Whitehouse to where the mailmen will have to bring the big bags of mail into you as they did on the Miracle on 34th Street.

What is your favorite American song? Mine is by Lee Greenwood and its called God bless the USA. In Vietnam a soldier my Daddy was with saved my Daddy’s life and I sung his buddy God bless the USA three years ago at the reunion in Branson, Missouri. He was very important to our family he’s in Heaven now.

You are important to our family as the President of the United States. My Mom told me you had two girls. Do they like horses? I made a picture for Mrs. Bush. I hope she likes horses. I made eagles in the picture with the horse. I named him Pete. I made him on the Bella Sara website. It’s a fun website if you like horses.

I hope you will share my challenge with other American people. My family will be praying for your family and the soldiers and their families.

Thank you----Zoa

------------------------------------

Mr. President,

I too served honorably with the 1st Infantry Division Big Red 1....Charlie Company 2/16 " rangers " in Viet-Nam. Although I arrived in country a little later than Zoa's Dad and never had the honor of serving next to him.

I have heard many heart warming accounts of his service and most of all of his heroism in Viet-Nam.

Today more than ever we must stand tall and proud and give our men and women of the services both in combat and here at home as well as those who have served honorably before them.

Please let me join with Zoa in her challenge as she workes toward her United We Stand badge, and accept my small token for the troops in Iraq.

Thank You,
Ed Wellstead
C Co 2/16 " rangers " Viet-Nam '66-67

-----------------------------

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR TODAY'S WORLD

Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat. The Nazis had sunk more than 400 British ships in their convoys between England and America taking food and war materials .

At that time the US was in an isolationist, pacifist mood, and most Americans wanted nothing to do with the European or the Asian war .

Then along came Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 , and in outrage Congress unanimously declared war on Japan, and the following day on Germany who had not yet attacked us . It was a dicey thing . We had few allies .

France was not an ally, as the Vichy government of France quickly aligned itself with its German occupiers . Germany was certainly not an ally, as Hitler was intent on setting up a Thousand Year Reich in Europe. Japan was not an ally, as it was well on its way to owning and controlling all of Asia.

Together, Japan and Germany had long-range plans of invading Canada and Mexico, as launching pads to get into the United States over our northern and southern borders, after they finished gaining control of Asia and Europe.

America 'S only allies then were England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, and Russia . That was about it. All of Europe, from Norway to Italy (except Russia in the East) was already under the Nazi heel.

The US was certainly not prepared for war. The US had drastically downgraded most of its military forces after WW I because of the depression, so that at the outbreak of WW II, Army units were training with broomsticks because they didn't have guns, and cars with "tank" painted on the doors because they didn't have real tanks A huge chunk of our Navy had just been sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor.

Britain had already gone bankrupt, saved only by the donation of $600 million in gold bullion in the Bank of England (that was actually the property of Belgium ) given by Belgium to England to carry on the war when Belgium was overrun by Hitler (a little known fact).

Actually, Belgium surrendered on one day, because it was unable to oppose the German invasion, and the Germans bombed Brussels into rubble the next day just to prove they could .

Britain had already been holding out for two years in the face of staggering losses and the near decimation of its Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain, and was saved from being overrun by Germany only because Hitler made the mistake of thinking the Brits were a relatively minor threat that could be dealt with later. Hitler first turned his attention to Russia, in the late summer of 1940 at a time when England was on the verge of collapse.

Ironically, Russia saved America's butt by putting up a desperate fight for two years, until the US got geared up to begin hammering away at Germany .

Russia lost something like 24,000,000 people in the sieges of Stalingrad and Moscow alone . . . 90% of them from cold and starvation, mostly civilians, but also more than a 1,000,000 soldiers.

Had Russia surrendered, Hitler would have been able to focus his entire war effort against the Brits, then America. If that had happened, the Nazis could possibly have won the war .

All of this has been brought out to illustrate that turning points in history are often dicey things. Now, we find ourselves at another one of those key moments in history.

There is a very dangerous minority in Islam that either has, or wants, and may soon have, the ability to deliver small nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, almost anywhere in the world .

The Jihadis, the militant Muslims, are basically Nazis in Kaffiyahs -- they believe that Islam, a radically conservative form of Wahhabi Islam, should own and control the Middle East first, then Europe, then the world. To them, all who do not bow to their will of thinking should be killed, enslaved, or subjugated . They want to finish the Holocaust, destroy Israel, and purge the world of Jews. This is their mantra (goal).

There is also a civil war raging in the Middle East -- for the most part not a hot war, but a war of ideas. Islam is having its Inquisition and its Reformation, but it is not yet known which side will win -- the Inquisitors, or the Reformationists.

If the Inquisition wins, then the Wahhabis, the Jihadis, will control the Middle East, the OPEC oil, and the US , European, and Asian economies.

The techno-industrial economies will be at the mercy of OPEC -- not an OPEC dominated by the educated, rational Saudis of today, but an OPEC dominated by the Jihadis. Do you want gas in your car? Do you want heating oil next winter? Do you want the dollar to be worth anything? You had better hope the Jihad, the Muslim Inquisition, loses, and the Islamic Reformation wins.

If the Reformation movement wins, that is, the moderate Muslims who believe that Islam can respect and tolerate other religions, live in peace with the rest of the world, and move out of the 10th century into the 21st, then the troubles in the Middle East will eventually fade away. A moderate and prosperous Middle East will emerge.

We have to help the Reformation win, and to do that we have to fight the Inquisition, i.e., the Wahhabi movement, the Jihad, Al Qaeda and the Islamic terrorist movements. We have to do it somewhere. We can't do it everywhere at once. We have created a focal point for the battle at a time and place of our choosing . . . . . . in Iraq. Not in New York, not in London, or Paris or Berlin, but in Iraq, where we are doing two important things.

(1) We deposed Saddam Hussein. Whether Saddam Hussein was directly involved in the 9/11 terrorist attack or not, it is undisputed that Saddam has been actively supporting the terrorist movement for decades Saddam is a terrorist! Saddam is, or was, a weapon of mass destruction, responsible for the deaths of probably more than a 1,000,000 Iraqis and 2,000,000 Iranians .

(2) We created a battle, a confrontation, a flash point, with Islamic terrorism in Iraq. We have focused the battle. We are killing bad people, and the ones we get there we won't have to get here. We also have a good shot at creating a democratic, peaceful Iraq, which will be a catalyst for democratic change in the rest of the Middle East, and an outpost for a stabilizing American military presence in the Middle East for as long as it is needed .

WW II, the war with the Japanese and German Nazis, really began with a "whimper" in 1928. It did not begin with Pearl Harbor. It began with the Japanese invasion of China. It was a war for fourteen years before the US joined it. It officially ended in 1945 -- a 17 year war -- and was followed by another decade of US occupation in Germany and Japan to get those countries reconstructed and running on their own again . . . a 27 year war.

WW II cost the United States an amount equal to approximately a full year's GDP -- adjusted for inflation, equal to about $12 trillion dollars. WW II cost America more than 400,000 soldiers killed in action, and nearly 100,000 still missing in action.

The Iraq war has, so far, cost the United States about $160,000,000,000, which is roughly what the 9/11 terrorist attack cost New York. It has also cost about 3,000 American lives, which is roughly equivilant to lives that the Jihad killed (within the United States) in the 9/11 terrorist attack .

The cost of not fighting and winning WW II would have been unimaginably greater -- a world dominated by Japanese Imperialism and German Nazism .

This is not a 60-Minutes TV show, or a 2-hour movie in which everything comes out okay . The real world is not like that. It is messy, uncertain, and sometimes bloody and ugly. It always has been, and probably always will be .

The bottom line is that we will have to deal with Islamic terrorism until we defeat it, whenever that is. It will not go away if we ignore it .

If the US can create a reasonably democratic and stable Iraq, then we have an ally, like England, in the Middle East, a platform from which we can work to help modernize and moderate the Middle East. The history of the world is the clash between the forces of relative civility and civilization, and the barbarians clamoring at the gates to conquer the world.

The Iraq War is merely another battle in this ancient and never ending war. Now, for the first time ever, the barbarians are about to get nuclear weapons -- unless some body prevents them from getting them.

We have four options:

1 . We can defeat the Jihad now, before it gets nuclear weapons.

2 . We can fight the Jihad later, after it gets nuclear weapons (which may be as early as next year, if Iran 's progress on nuclear weapons is what Iran claims it is).

3 . We can surrender to the Jihad and accept its dominance in the Middle East now; in Europe in the next few years or decades, and ultimately in America.

OR

4 . We can stand down now, and pick up the fight later when the Jihad is more widespread and better armed, perhaps after the Jihad has dominated France and Germany and possibly most of the rest of Europe. It will, of course, be more dangerous, more expensive, and much bloodier.

If you oppose this war, I hope you like the idea that your children, or grandchildren, may live in an Islamic America under the Mullahs and the Sharia, an America that resembles Iran today.

The history of the world is the history of civilization clashes, cultural clashes. All wars are about ideas, ideas about what society and civilization should be like, and the most determined always win.

Those who are willing to be the most ruthless always win . The pacifists always lose, because the anti-pacifists kill them .

Remember, perspective is everything, and America 's schools teach too little history for perspective to be clear, especially in the young American mind.

The Cold War lasted from about 1947 at least until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989; forty-two years!

Europe spent the first half of the 19th century fighting Napoleon, and from 1870 to 1945 fighting Germany !

World War II began in 1928, lasted 17 years, plus a ten year occupation, and the US still has troops in Germany and Japan. World War II resulted in the death of more than 50,000,000 people, maybe more than 100,000,000 people, depending on which estimates you accept.

The US has taken more than 3,000 killed in action in Iraq. The US took more than 4,000 killed in action on the morning of June 6, 1944, the first day of the Normandy Invasion to rid Europe of Nazi Imperialism.

In WW II the US averaged 2,000 KIA a week -- for four years. Most of the individual battles of WW II lost more Americans than the entire Iraq war has done so far .

The stakes are at least as high; a world dominated by representative governments with civil rights, human rights and personal freedoms . . or a world dominated by a radical Islamic Wahhabi movement, by the Jihad, under the Mullahs and the Sharia (Islamic law) .

It's difficult to understand why the average American does not grasp this. They favor human rights, civil rights, liberty and freedom, but evidently not for Iraqis.

"Peace Activists" always seem to demonstrate here in America where it's safe.

Why don't we see Peace Activists demonstrating in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, North Korea, in the places that really need peace activism the most? I'll tell you why! They would be killed!

The liberal mentality is supposed to favor human rights, civil rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc., but if the Jihad wins, wherever the Jihad wins, it is the end of civil rights, human rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc.

Americans who oppose the liberation of Iraq are coming down on the
side of their own worst enemy!

----------
Raymond S. Kraft is a writer living in Northern California that has studied the Middle Eastern culture and religion in great detail.

Soldiers Strive to Make Iraqi Village Safe

2007-04-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Monday, 02 April 2007

KHAN DARI — On March 25, three improvised explosive devices went off here. Soldiers from Company E, 2nd “Lancer” Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment entered the village in an attempt to find the assailants.

“We know if we can continue getting information from anyone who can help us clean out insurgents here and find weapons caches, we’re making this a safer place down the line for the [citizens of the community],” said Staff Sgt. William Stone, a squad leader from the regiment. “All the people here say the same thing, they want our help, they want safety and they want the insurgents to go away.”

Read the rest of the story at Operation Iraqi Freedom

Hanging With The Kids!

2007-04-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Staff Sgt. Jorge Paez makes friends with local Iraqi children at a Joint Security Station construction site. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Maya Lowell, 9th Engineer Battalion.

Read more at Operation Iraqi Freedom

If Only We Were All Like This Wonderful Little Girl!

2007-04-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2007

Zoa--Junior Juliette in Girl Scouts, State of Missouri, USA

(My daddy served with the 1st Division, 2nd Battalion,
16th Infantry "Rangers", Charlie Company 65-66 Vietnam)

To:
President and Mrs. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and Mrs. Bush,

My name is Zoa and I am eleven years old. I am a Junior Juliette in the Girls Scouts. I am working on my “United We Stand Badge” and “Our Rights, Our Responsibilities Badge”. The last activity to finish my Rights and Responsibility badge is an activity that includes the right to be me, the right to learn, the right to be heard, the right to live in peace, to be happy and to work together.

I am my Daddy’s youngest daughter and he is a disabled Vietnam Veteran. My Grandpa is a World War 2 Veteran from the Navy in the south Pacific. They both fought to make sure I have rights. All of our soldiers do. The Veterans that served with my Daddy that I have met at the reunions my mother has for them every year fought also. Two soldiers who were with my Daddy in Vietnam got Medals of Honor. I got to go to Dayton, Ohio a few years back to one of their Medal of Honor ceremonies. It was really fun. I learned a lot. There were many soldiers there.

I am enclosing $2.00 to go to our soldiers. They need to be thanked for protecting our freedoms as well as others. I want to challenge all the people who live here in the USA to stand up and be Americans and to write to you and to send you money for our soldiers and to support them. Its important to have respect and to show respect. I hope that they write many letters and mail lots of money to you at the Whitehouse to where the mailmen will have to bring the big bags of mail into you as they did on the Miracle on 34th Street.

What is your favorite American song? Mine is by Lee Greenwood and its called God bless the USA. In Vietnam a soldier my Daddy was with saved my Daddy’s life and I sung his buddy God bless the USA three years ago at the reunion in Branson, Missouri. He was very important to our family he’s in Heaven now.

You are important to our family as the President of the United States. My Mom told me you had two girls. Do they like horses? I made a picture for Mrs. Bush. I hope she likes horses. I made eagles in the picture with the horse. I named him Pete. I made him on the Bella Sara website. It’s a fun website if you like horses.

I hope you will share my challenge with other American people. My family will be praying for your family and the soldiers and their families.

Thank you----Zoa

Kidnap Victim Rescued, Baghdad, Jan. 2007

2007-04-03T09:02:00.001-07:00

Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Outfit Schools

2007-04-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 31 March 2007 Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Outfit Schools

AZ ZAIDON — Iraqi Soldiers and Coalition forces visited two schools and brought much needed school supplies and gifts Thursday.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, U.S. troops from 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) and the military transition team from 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division conducted a good-will mission to help school children receive equipment that was needed.

“We’re doing a humanitarian assistance operation here,” said Capt. Joshua

Read the rest at: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Troops Give Gifts to Iraqi Children

Soldiers Observe Women’s Past, Current Historical Feats

2007-03-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

26 March 2007
By Spc. Carl N. Hudson
Combined Press Information CenterCAMP TAJI — The 615th “Cold Steel” Aviation Support Battalion hosted a Women’s History Month celebration here March 19.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Holly Cook, 1st Cavalry Division staff judge advocate, and “Suzan,” an Iraqi woman and lawyer whose full identity was withheld for security reasons, served as guest speakers for the celebration in support of the “Generations of women moving history forward” theme.

The celebration observed American women who struggled for equality throughout history and their accomplishments, which were compared to the same struggles today’s Iraqi women face.

Read about it here: US Central Command

Battalion Clears Routes, Saves Lives

2007-03-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 25 March 2007
By Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte
13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

LSA ANACONDA — You need stamina. You need patience. And most of all, you need a sharp eye to do this job.

After two hours on the road, the slow-moving convoy stopped to examine something spotted by one of its vehicle commanders, Sgt. Patrick B. Geren of Fort Smith, Ark.

The berm, covered in patches of grass, was about 30 feet from the road and appeared much the same as everything else. There was seemingly nothing to look at but more countryside, but the members of 1st Platoon, Company A, 875th Engineer Battalion knew better.

In another vehicle, the crew spent several minutes explaining exactly where the object was located, although their passenger couldn't see it.

Finally, there it was - the tube of an improvised rocket launcher - little more than a small black dot against the landscape.

If left there, it would be used again.

Read the rest of the story at: Multi-National Force-Iraq

Iraqi Police Clear Central Ramadi

2007-03-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Police offload from a police vehicle during Operation “Lions of Ramadi.”
Thursday, 22 March 2007

The operation was led by Iraqi Police while Iraqi and Coalition forces provided outer security. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ricardo Branch.RAMADI — The Western Ramadi District Police conducted a massive police operation targeting insurgents here Tuesday.
Coordinating between several stations within the district, Brig. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim Hamadi, chief of the Ramadi District Police, personally led more than 500 policemen as they conducted house-to-house searches in the capital city of Al-Anbar province.

“The sons of Ramadi work tirelessly to eradicate criminals and bring them to justice,” said Khalil. “Today we achieved a noble goal in providing security and stability to our families and to the people of Ramadi.”

During the 10-hour operation, named Operation “Lions of Ramadi,” police detained more than 45 suspected insurgents, confiscated propaganda material and discovered several caches containing assault rifles, machine guns, and artillery shells used to produce improvised explosive devices.

During “Lions of Ramadi,” insurgents continued to spread terror in the area by utilizing an IED which killed one civilian and injured five - proving that, though much progress has been made during Fardh Al-Qanoon, a safe Iraq will take patience and perseverance.

The wounded were transported by local citizens to a nearby Joint Security Station, then evacuated to a Coalition medical facility for further treatment.

In spite of the casualties, the operation was deemed successful.

Visit Operation Iraqi Freedom

Iraqis, U.S. Soldiers Work Together to Stop Corruption at Oil Refinery

2007-03-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Friday, 23 March 2007
BAYJI — A United States Army captain met with a deputy commander of the Oil Protection Force to talk about security needs for the Bayji Oil Refinery here March 9.

U.S. Army Capt. Kwenton Kuhlman, Company B commander, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and overseer of the oil refinery, and Nabhan Mohammed, deputy commander of the OPF in the Bayji refinery discussed corruption and embezzlement problems as well as the relationship between Iraqi Soldiers and OPF workers.

One of the biggest problems the refinery faced were guards being bribed and drivers being extorted, said Hassan Ahmad, an OPF employee.

Read the full story at Iraqis, U.S. Soldiers Work Together to Stop Corruption at Oil Refinery

Gathering of Eagles a Whopping Success!!

2007-03-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos and pictures from the Gathering of Eagles, March 17, 2007, in Washington DC

Why I Went to the Gathering of Eagles

Gathering of Eagles Washington DC March 17, 2007

Gathering of Eagles

A Gathering of Eagles

Gathering of Eagles' National Anthem

Navy's First Riverine Squadron Deploys

2007-03-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Navy News | SA John K. Hamilton | March 13, 2007

Virginia Beach, VA. -- Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 1, based at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek deployed March 8 after a year of intense training with Marine forces.

The deployment marks the first for a riverine squadron since the Vietnam War.

More than 100 riverine Sailors deployed to the Middle East to integrate with Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) to conduct maritime security operations (MSO) along rivers and other inland waterways: denying the use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack; a haven for insurgent activities; or the illegal transportation of weapons, people or material in Iraq.

“The combat skills training at Camp Lejune (N.C.) with the Marine Corps and firefight introductions training took us from ‘blue water Sailors’ -- open water Navy -- to become an expeditionary force,” said Cmdr. William Guarini, commanding officer of RIVRON 1.

“Our goal is to help the Marines and other units we’ll be working with to facilitate stability in the area,” said, Lt.j.g. Joshua Sprubeck, team officer for RIVRON 1.

Read the full story here: Navy's First Riverine Squadron Deploys

Operation Iraqi Freedom Facts

2007-03-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

In 2006, medical care improved in Iraq with the renovation of 15 hospitals. Each completed facility sees approximately 500 patients per day for a total of 11,000 patients nationwide.

In 2006, medical care improved in Iraq with the renovation of 15 hospitals. Each completed facility sees approximately 500 patients per day for a total of 11,000 patients nationwide.

In 2006, education opportunities improved for Iraqis with 838 of 849 schools completed. Each completed school serves approximately 400 students for a total of 335,200 students nationwide

Before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, under the control of Saddam, was an enemy of the U.S. and the civilized world; today it is an ally of both as well as a global partner in fighting terror.

Since 2003, Iraqi forces have fought alongside Coalition forces in Najaf, Samarra, Fallujah, Baghdad, North Babil, Mosul, Al Anbar, and a host of other locations. There remains no shortage of volunteers ready to step up and defend the sovereignty and freedom of their nation.

Coalition Forces Capture 22 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq

2007-03-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq –Coalition Forces captured 22 suspected terrorists during operations Monday morning targeting al-Qaeda and foreign fighter facilitators.

During operations in Mosul, Coalition Forces captured four suspected terrorists allegedly involved in the planning of improvised explosive devices attacks on friendly forces.

A senior foreign fighter facilitator was captured north of Habbaniyah, and two suspects who are reportedly involved in weapons facilitation were detained in Baghdad.

Northeast of Tarmiyah, Coalition Forces captured thirteen suspected terrorists with alleged involved in weapons movement and foreign fighter facilitation.

South of Amiriyah, two suspected terrorists with alleged ties to foreign fighter facilitation and weapons movement were also detained.

“Coalition Forces will continue deliberate and methodical operations in order to pursue, capture or kill terrorists trying to prevent a peaceful and stable Iraq," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

Read the story here: Coalition Forces Capture 22 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq

Tribute to the Veterans Participating in The Gathering of Eagles, March 17, 2007 in Washington, DC

2007-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Gatherin’ Eagles
(inspired by the song, “Truckin’ Convoy” by C.W. McCall

Yeah, breaker 24, this here’s the Bald Eagle
You get where I’m comin’ from, Patriot?
Oh, yeah, 10-4 Bald Eagle, of course
My goodness, it’s a clear path to DC, let’s go!

Well, it’s midnight on St. Patrick’s Day
In a train full of Americans, proud
Cycles and busses up ahead of us,
All of them Thunder-rollin’ loud

We’re headed for the Wall in DC,
Preparing to serve again
Up against those moon bat loons
Not one of them’s our friend.

Cause we’re the Gatherin’ Eagles,
Rollin’ through the night,
Yeah, tons and tons of Eagles,
Ain’t lookin’ for no fight

Come on America join on in
Take our country back today,
We’re gonna protect our memorials
And the troops that are fightin’ today

Ah, Patriot, this here’s Eagle,
You might wanna back up there, and hang for ten,
Them anti’s up there are goin’ nuts,
Like roosters huntin’ hen

By the time we get to DC,
There’ll be crazies all around.
We’ll have to stand up tall and strong
And guard that sacred ground

Cause we’re the Gatherin’ Eagles,
Rollin’ through the night,
Yeah, tons and tons of Eagles,
Ain’t lookin’ for no fight

Come on America join on in
Take our country back today,
We’re gonna protect our memorials
And the troops that are fightin’ today

The anti’s did in the sixties,
But we weren’t here back then,
We were fightin’ for those mangy mutts
We won’t let them do it again

They pillage and ravage our landmarks,
No sense of right and wrong,
They scream and holler nonsense,
We’re tired of that ol’ song.

Cause we’re the Gatherin’ Eagles,
Rollin’ through the night,
Yeah, tons and tons of Eagles,
Ain’t lookin’ for no fight

Come on America join on in
Take our country back today,
We’re gonna protect our memorials
And the troops that are fightin’ today