FORCE PROTECTION DUTY — U.S. sailors assigned to security duty stand a force protection watch as the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman pulls into Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, in the Persian Gulf, Jan. 3, 2005. The Truman is currently on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the war on terror. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Ricardo J. Reyes


Powell: Iraq Elections Will Send Message
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2005 - The upcoming Iraqi elections won't bring an end to the insurgency in Iraq, but it's critical that they proceed as planned, Secretary of State Colin Powell said today on CNN's "Late Edition." Story

Violence Grows as Crackdowns Continue

Supply Unit Ensures Services Ready to Fight
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 7, 2005 — A small element of the 659th Maintenance Company, 264th Corps Support Battalion, has a heavy task running a forward distribution point, a multi-class warehouse supporting more than 180 Army, Marine and Air Force units. Story

Troops Opt to Stay As Iraqi Elections Near
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 7, 2005 — The U.S. Army's 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, recently bid a fond farewell to 1st Battalion (Attack), 25th Aviation Regiment soldiers heading home, but more than 100 soldiers have instead volunteered to extend their tours. Story

Paratroopers Dig In on Baghdad's Haifa Street
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 7, 2005 — Haifa Street — the infamous neighborhood in Baghdad has been the site of wild west-style shoot-outs and gun battles between insurgents and multinational forces and the 82nd Airborne aims to clear the streets of criminals and terrorists. Story

'Blue Knights' Haul Troops, Cargo in Iraq
AL ASAD, Iraq, Jan. 7, 2005 — The “Blue Knights” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, transport an average of nearly 100 passengers and approximately five to 10-thousand pounds of cargo throughout the Al Anbar province per night. Story

IN IRAQ
• Reserve First Responders Form Rescue Team
• Joint Medical Visit Treats Iraqi Patients
• Marine, Soldier Promote Iraqi Youth Program
• U.S. Soldiers, Iraqi Police Compete in Soccer Match
• Troops Provide Humanitarian Assistance

IN AFGHANISTAN
• Vertical Engineers Build From the Ground Up

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
• Air Terminal Operations Center Keeps Wing Rotating

Sunday, January 09, 2005
Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. troops opened fire near a checkpoint south of Baghdad after their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb and a hospital official said Sunday at least eight people were killed in the second American attack in two days to have deadly results.

FULL STORY - from Fox News

U.S. soldiers inspect the scene of a bombing attack that targeted a U.S. convoy in Baghdad.

U.S. servicemen search for pieces of debris from a crashed U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter.

Sunday, January 09, 2005
Associated Press

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A U.S. helicopter with 10 people on board crashed near Banda Aceh's airport Monday while on a tsunami relief operation. Meanwhile, Indonesia issued security warnings about separatist rebels, and strong aftershocks shook the region.

FULL STORY - from Fox News

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Workers find tsunami corpses in Indonesia
Rescue workers pulled thousands more rotting corpses from the mud and debris of flattened towns along the Sumatran coast Saturday, two weeks after surging walls of water caused unprecedented destruction on the shores of the Indian Ocean. The death toll in 11 countries passed 150,000.

Polls: Abbas leads Palestinian elections
The election to replace Yasser Arafat on Sunday has the potential to usher in the Arab world's first genuine democracy with a peaceful transfer of power that will augur well for the dream of a Palestinian state. The new Palestinian president — widely expected to be Mahmoud Abbas — won't have an easy job ahead of him.

U.S., owner dispute house bombing deaths
The United States military said it dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong house outside the northern city of Mosul on Saturday, killing five people. The man who owned the house said the bomb killed 14 people, and an Associated Press photographer said seven of them were children.

AP: U.N. audits show oil-for-food bilking
Internal audits conducted by the United Nations of its oil-for-food program revealed lapses in U.N. oversight that allowed contractors to overcharge by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to copies obtained by The Associated Press.

Soldier gets six months in Iraqi drowning
An Army platoon sergeant who ordered his soldiers to throw Iraqis into the Tigris River was sentenced Saturday to six months in military prison, but will not be discharged.
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Iraq, Baghdad


Ananova: War In Iraq
UK group warns of vote block
Israeli border restrictions will prevent thousands of Palestinians voting in landmark elections, a UK group overseeing the poll has warned. Ananova: War In Iraq


Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis Die In Errant Bombing By U.S.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 -- A U.S. warplane mistakenly dropped a 500-pound bomb Saturday on a house in a village near the northern city of Mosul, killing several Iraqis, according to witnesses and the U.S. military. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Jordanian authorities ban protest by US anti-war group
Jordanian police banned relatives of US servicemen killed in Iraq and members of anti-war groups from holding a candlelit vigil outside UN headquarters, an AFP correspondent reported. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Annan: Won't Resign Over Iraq Oil, Food Scandal
U.N. Secretary-General KofiAnnan said on Tuesday corruption allegations in the Iraqioil-for-food program had cast a shadow over the United Nationsbut said again he would not resign as the world's top diplomat. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Navy SEALs Sue AP Over Iraq Prison Photos
Six members of a Navy special forces unit and two Navy wives sued The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying the news agency endangered the servicemen's lives and invaded their privacy by publishing photos showing the men interacting with Iraqi prisoners. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


New York Times
For Returning Soldiers, Hellos to Family and Goodbyes to Comrades
In little more than three years, a group of returning volunteers from the New York Army National Guard had seen more action than most National Guard units see in a lifetime. New York Times: World Special


Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S., owner dispute house bombing deaths
The United States military said it dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong house outside the northern city of Mosul on Saturday, killing five people. The man who owned the house said the bomb killed 14 people, and an Associated Press photographer said seven of them were children. Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Palestinians set to vote in elections
This weekend's election to replace Yasser Arafat has the potential to usher in the Arab world's first genuine democracy with a peaceful transfer of power that will augur well for the dream of a Palestinian state. The new Palestinian president - widely expected to be Mahmoud Abbas - doesn't have an easy job ahead of him. Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


The US News: Iraq News
Car bomb attack at Iraqi police graduation ceremony kills 20
"We will not allow the terrorist to stop the political process in Iraq," Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite leader, said Wednesday. [in San Diego Union Tribune] The US News: Iraq News

Iraqi Christians fleeing the country
Iraq's Christian community, targeted by Islamic extremists, has been disappearing rapidly over the past year, the Telegraph reported Saturday. [in The US News] The US News: Iraq News

from Marine Corps News
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 20051610945Story by Cpl. Ryan Walker

ROYAL THAI AIR BASE, UTAPAO, Kingdom of Thailand (Jan. 6, 2005) -- More than 13,000 U.S. servicemembers with Combined Support Force 536 are working with international militaries and non-governmental organizations in support of Operation Unified Assistance, a massive international response to help the victims of the tsunami disaster. Many nations including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom have joined the U.S. here in support of the humanitarian effort, led by the III Marine Expeditionary Force based at Okinawa, Japan.“

The forward presence of Marines on Okinawa significantly contributes to U.S. ability to respond to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and to alleviate human suffering,” said CSF-536 and III MEF Commanding General Lt. Gen. Robert R. Blackman.

Combined forces are working around the clock to deliver the necessary supplies to minimize the loss of life and mitigate human suffering.

About 90 U.S. aircraft and helicopters have transported more than 610,000 pounds of food, water and life-sustaining supplies to the affected people lacking basic survival needs, according to a Department of Defense report. Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Sullivan, an aviation warfare systems operator with the USS Abraham Lincoln, delivered aid supplies to people in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

“The condition of the people has been improving over the past few days," Sullivan said. “We’re all focused on getting in there and helping out.”

Fourteen U.S. Navy ships are in the region or on the way to support the humanitarian effort. The ships are capable of producing 450,000 gallons of drinking water daily. According to U.S. government sources, the estimated death toll from the tsunamis is more than 150,000 in Southeast Asia. In addition to the thousands of dead and missing, about 3 million people are lacking basic survival needs.

Last week President George W. Bush committed $350 million toward earthquake and tsunami relief and recovery efforts. “Many nations from the world are focused on doing everything in their power to aid the people tragically affected by this unfortunate natural disaster,” said CSF-536 public affairs officer Maj. Brad S. Bartelt. “Not only are we bringing food and supplies, but we are also bringing hope to people who have lost so much.”



COLOMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Marines and airmen load humanitarian aid supplies onto a UH-60 rescue helicopter here Jan. 6. More than 13,000 U.S. Marines, sailors, airmen, soldiers and Coast Guardsmen with Combined Support Force 536 are working with international militaries and non-governmental organizations to aid the affected people of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake Dec. 26 triggered devastating tsunamis. Many nations including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom have joined the U.S. here to support Operation Unified Assistance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sarayuth Pinthong) Photo by: Air Force Staff Sgt. Sarayuth


ROYAL THAI AIR BASE, UTAPAO, Kingdom of Thailand – Army Lt. Col. Larry D. Connell discusses humanitarian aid plans with Combined Support Force 536 leaders supporting Operation Unified Assistance here Jan. 6. More than 13,000 Marines, sailors, airmen, soldiers and Coast Guardsmen with Combined Support Force 536 are working with international militaries and non-governmental organizations to aid the affected people of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake Dec. 26 triggered devastating tsunamis. Many nations including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom have joined the U.S. here to support Operation Unified Assistance. (Official Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris) Photo by: Lance Cpl. Martin R. Harris