Several sailors injured; no damage to reactor plant reported

FULL STORY at MSNBC.com

From the October 2, 2004 issue of The Scimitar
http://www.dvidshub.net/publications/scimitar/issues/SM_01Oct.pdf

Commentary by Master Sgt. Robert Branham
BALAD, Iraq – Somewhere in America a family member was waiting for a relative who was returning home. He was returning early, having served his profession with pride and excellence.

We wouldn’t be there to honor his arrival, but we were here to see him off with respect and dignity. His title and the title of thousands of his like-minded brothers and sisters, was specialist. For their profession is to defend the United States of America.

The Soldiers of his unit and the Airmen of ours stood at attention, in a cordon of desert camouflage uniforms, as six of his unit’s young men stood ready to carry their brother to his place on the start of his journey home. Just before they began their solemn march, we were ordered to present arms, and for three seconds our right arms were slowly raised to touch the corner of our eyes. As the detail passed we held our salute, honoring our comrade in arms and the Stars and Stripes. We held our salute until he was secured in his place of honor, then after the first sergeant’s command, we slowly brought our arms to our side.

Still at attention, with eyes straight ahead, I could observe several faces with trails of tears, men and women alike, young and old. For we had lost one of our own, one who put service before self.

Next, the Army chaplain marched between our columns to join his troop on the plane. Only then were we released from formation, but were told we could march onto the plane for the chaplain’s comments. No one walked away. Every member of the formation joined together, side by side, until there was no room to stand inside the plane. The others stood respectfully just outside the plane’s rear entrance, as the chaplain recited the 23rd Psalm before he said a prayer for our departing brother and for his family.

Slowly we left the plane so the specialist could begin the journey home. As I looked back into the cargo bay, I saw something I will never forget. Members of his unit saluted the flag on their own; some touched it respectfully. One soldier leaned over and put his forehead briefly next to the stars, as if putting his forehead on his brother’s forehead.

As our Air force members slowly left the area, the Army again fell into formation. They stood at attention as the plane rolled away.

Yes, somewhere someone was waiting for this loved one’s final journey home. We wish he hadn’t left early. We gave him a final salute with heartfelt pride and professional excellence. His sacrifice to duty, honor, and country demanded we offer no less. We are the profession of arms. All of us made a commitment to serve. Most of us make some sacrifice while in service. Some make the ultimate sacrifice.

Editor’s note: U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert Branham is assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron in Balad, Iraq.

San Marino Area News & Information

Pasadena Resident Honored for “Soldiers’ Angels”

SAN GABRIEL VALLEYWIDE NEWS
By Alex Burrola, Staff Writer


LOS ANGELES - At this week’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Patty Patton-Bader was honored by Fifth District Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich for her work in bringing some relief and a little bit of home to U.S. troops serving overseas in places like Afghanistan.


Patton-Bader knows firsthand the trials of American servicemen and women, her son Brandon is a sergeant in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq, as is her brother who saw action in Afghanistan before also being deployed to Iraq. Her sister is also in Germany along with her Army husband.


And, as her name might hint at, Patton-Bader is a descendant of famed World War II figure General George S. Patton, Jr. Her father, retired Lieutenant Colonel David Patton, is a nephew of the legendary Third Army commander.


Explaining the genesis of the group, Patton-Bader explains “I was sending six or seven care packages over there a week, and my son called and said to me, ‘It’s great mom, but you know, there are a lot of guys here who don’t get mail’, and that started it all”.


She got the ball rolling with her website, and with the help of her father and others, began a massive effort for sending care packages and other necessities.


“We were sending backpacks and handmade blankets to wounded servicemen with tags on them that said ‘Dear Wounded Hero” and had a little note. Those were greatly received. It’s all to tell them that we care”.


At the Board of Supervisors meeting in Downtown Los Angeles, Supervisor Antonovich praised Patton-Bader and her fellow volunteers for their “mission to provide aide and comfort to any of the Armed Forces and their families who are in need”.


“The Soldiers’ Angels slogan, ‘May No Soldier Go Unloved’ describes the motivation behind the organization - to bring home healthy soldiers. Many thanks to Soldiers’ Angels for its committment and dedication to our troops”.


“It felt good to be recognized like that”, Patton-Bader said of the presentation. “We were so excited we couldn’t stand it. Great experience”.


Patton-Bader hopes anyone who can will help out by “adopting a soldier to write letters to and send care packages, sewing blankets, helping out families here at home”, she suggests.


To learn more about Soldiers’ Angels, call them at 626-398-3131, or go to www.soldiersangels.org on the Internet.


San Marino Tribune - serving San Marino, CA

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
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Iraq, Baghdad


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Militants Kidnap 3 Senior Iraqi Officials
Militants abducted three senior Iraqi officials, beheaded a man who worked for the U.S. military and killed at least four others, officials said Saturday, a day after a U.S. general warned that insurgents may be planning "horrific" attacks ahead of Jan. 30 elections. Kansas.com: Iraq

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Sudan hopes peace deal ends Darfur crisis
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Militants abducted three senior Iraqi officials, beheaded a man who worked for the U.S. military and killed at least four others, officials said Saturday, a day after a U.S. general warned that insurgents may be planning "horrific" attacks ahead of Jan. 30 elections.Meanwhile, Shiite and Sunni religious leaders voiced sharply divergent views on whether the vote should be held at all. Fresno Bee: Iraq


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Katu.com: Iraq & Terror

American Forces Press Service

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq, Jan. 5, 2005 -- Marines and soldiers started the new year distributing humanitarian supplies to needy residents of a local community, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today.

The troops were from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, serving under the command of the 1st Marine Division of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

The 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, along with Detachment 3, 4th Civil Affairs Group, delivered blankets, food and shoes to residents of the small Kurdish town of Taash, southwest of Ramadi, Jan. 2.

"This is an important mission for our soldiers and the Iraqi people," said Col. Gary S. Patton, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team. "We are in Iraq to not only secure the area from hostile, violent insurgents, but also to try to make innocent Iraqi lives better."

During the operation, members of the brigade passed out more than 9,500 humanitarian daily rations, 4,500 blankets and more than 3,000 pairs of shoes to more than 400 households. In all, the daylong mission served to improve the lives of more than 4,000 people.

"Where we see a need, we try to fill that need," said Marine Lt. Col. Daniel Murner, commander of Detachment 3. "Here we saw some people who definitely needed some food and blankets over the winter months.

"Each family received two boxes of rations and five to 10 blankets, Murner said. Shoes were left behind for the residents to sort through and find pairs that fit them. Children also received hundreds of soccer balls, candy and other items during the mission.

Village leaders were pleased, Murner said, noting that gaining and maintaining positive relationships with the local populace is key to establishing a more safe and secure environment in Iraq.

"They were very happy we came down there to help these people," he said. "Village leaders were helpful to the mission because they were quickly enlisted to help organize the residents and help establish order."

Taash is an Iranian Kurd refugee camp built by the United Nations in 1982. Refugees are mostly political refugees who are unemployed. There is no industry in the area, so the community relies on humanitarian aid for its survival.

In addition to the humanitarian supply mission, the units are working on longer-term community improvement projects, such as a local health clinic and an improvement on the local water pumping station.

"(We want to show the local population that) multinational forces are not here to impose our will on them," Murner said. "We are here to improve their living conditions."

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2005/n01052005_2005010503.htmlphoto from http://www.army.mil/

By Jason Chudy, Stars and StripesMideast edition, Thursday, January 6, 2005

BAGHDAD — Soldiers of the Camp Liberty-based 458th Engineer Battalion’s Heavy Rescue One were recently called on to dig out survivors from collapsed buildings after insurgents ambushed Iraqi police in a western Baghdad neighborhood.This was the first time that the 85-member Heavy Rescue One, which is the only military unit in Iraq trained for this mission, has been used in a rescue operation.

About 55 members of the unit deployed to the neighborhood hours after insurgents used about 1,700 pounds of explosives to blow up the raided building on the evening of Dec. 28.The resulting explosion killed seven police officers and about two dozen area residents, according to media reports, and collapsed 10 nearby homes.

Sgt. Joseph Taylor, a medic with the unit, was patrolling in the area at the time. When he arrived on the scene, he led in the rescue of four Iraqis from a collapsed building.

“Typically in situations like this there is a lot of chaos and panic until someone with some type of emergency management training and skills arrives and can begin to manage the event,” wrote Staff Sgt. Michael Medellin in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes. “Having one of our officers on scene from the beginning put us a step ahead of the game.”

Once the rest of the unit arrived, Sgt. Greg Renko and Medellin were told that a woman was trapped deep in the rubble.

The two soldiers surveyed the scene and led teams in the dig for the woman. After entering one of the holes, Renko found the woman pinned under the rubble. It took about 30 minutes to free her.

She was then taken for further medical treatment by Iraqi medical personnel.“Without the specialized equipment, training and rapid response that these soldiers offered I think this would have been a body recovery and not a rescue,” wrote Lt. Col. Dave Chesser, battalion commander.

Medellin said the unit’s personnel performed exactly as they had hoped they would.

“Just like with Army training, things just started to kick in and you began to perform almost automatically,” he wrote.

“We saved lives that morning. You can’t put a price on that. The training, practice, and sweat … it was all worth it, even if this is the only time we go out.”

The heavy rescue capability was created from scratch in December 2003 while the unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq from Fort McCoy, Wis.

Heavy Rescue One’s members have held a number of training exercises since their arrival in Iraq, but this was their first rescue mission.

The 458th will be replaced by another Army unit with similar training, said Maj. Adam Roth, battalion executive officer and rescue unit leader. The unit has also trained three KBR fire departments on heavy rescue techniques.

story and photos at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26397

Nine West Virginia National Guardsmen from Battery C, 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Brigade, III Corps, reenlist on New Year’s Day at the Ziggurat of Ur, a famous archaeological site in Iraq, built around 2100 BC to honor the moon god Nanna. Photo by Maj. Gary Coffey. http://www.army.mil/