Vail Armed Forces Week
Location: Vail, Colorado
Date: January 29th - February 3rd, 2006

The Vail Armed Forces Committee invites all who currently serve or have served for the Department of Defense, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Reserve, National Guard, Defense Contractor, Defense Civilian, US Public Health Service, Law Enforcement Personnel, plus Family and Friends of the Military to join us for a fun filled and affordable Military Fund Raising* Ski Week to support the children.

With the ongoing war against Terrorism and in Iraq the Vail Armed Forces Week is designed to raise money to help "children who have lost a parent while serving our country, pursue a higher education at accredited universities, colleges, vocational and technical schools through scholarship programs provided by The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and The Naval Special Warfare Foundation."

"Just Imagine!"
Experiencing for yourself firsthand the world class atmosphere of Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts.

The Magic of reuniting with old friends and meeting new friends.

Experiencing the pristine snow of Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains, providing terrain for first time skiers to expert skiers and snowboarders.

Experiencing the mayhem of Vail at night with clubs, apre's ski parties, award-winning cuisine's, shopping, boutiques, art galleries, spas and slope side accommodations.

If you are not skiing, enjoy the variety of winter activities available.

Experience Adventure Ridge, via a gondola ride to the world's highest night-time playground at 10,000ft.

But most of all, through your participation you will be providing "Support to our Troops and their Families"


* 3% of all revenues generated by participating organizations and selected programs, donated to Naval Special Warfare Foundation and Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation

"Every penny raised, is a penny more to provide a higher education for the children."

FYI, Soldiers' Angels members have also been invited to attend!

Hello all,
Just wanted to send you guys a pic we took at the Charlie Daniels concert tonight here in Balad, Iraq. He and his band were even gracious enough to stickaround for 2 hours after to sign autographs. Shows like that make you proud to be an American. I thought you'd enjoy the pic.

Take care, everybody,
2LT Rodriguez

Check out

In Mosul, a Battle 'Beyond Ruthless'

from the Washington Post

In the news posts for today, you'll see the following story:

Immigration Amendment Ties Up Iraq Spending

Here's the deal:
This week, the Senate is debating a bill that would give $81 billion in emergency funding for the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem? Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig wants to attach a temporary amnesty to some 1.2 million illegal alien migrant farm workers.

1.2 million illegal aliens.

This in a country where some sources have reported that there is a possibility that folks we probably REALLY don't want here are taking Mexican-sounding last names and sneaking over the border.

This in a country where one of the biggest threats to our national security is the porous nature of our borders.

Adequately funding our troops should be a given. It should not be a way to push a bill that probably doesn't have a substantial chance of passing on its own; or at least, not without a great deal of scrutiny. It shouldn't be a means to some ill-conceived end.

It should be treated as a necessity, and an absolute duty, not an opportunity to push some other agenda.

I'm glad to report that some in the Senate are fighting the amnesty, but I'm greatly concerned that all that does, at this point, is delay the funding.

And as far as I'm concerned, that's just not acceptable. Our troops need adequate funding if they are to do their jobs. Shame on Senator Craig, and all who would use doing so as a means to back-door an agenda.

To find contact information for your Senators, and make your views known, you can go here to search by state.

KURDISTAN VISIT — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, right, and Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, conduct a press conference in Sala Huddin, Kurdistan, following a meeting with leaders of the Kurdish Democratic Party, April 12, 2005. Rumsfeld's trip to Kurdistan followed a visit to Iraq to meet with deployed U.S. troops and with the newly-elected members of the Iraqi government. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
3 charged in plot on U.S. finance centers
LexisNexis: Files may have been breached
Rumsfeld: Don't politicize Iraq military


Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Construction booms in West Bank settlement
Iran won't allow Canada to examine body


Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Developments in Iraq
U.S. Troops Fight Smugglers in Iraq
Senate Won't Boost VA Hospital Spending


Katu.com
Men indicted today won't stand trial soon in US
U-S troops kill unknown number of insurgents in western Iraq
Bush marks anniversary of Baghdad fall, meets with families of fallen troops


The US News: Iraq News
Bush thanks soldiers for serving in Iraq
Iraq insurgents fail to brew chemical arms


CENTCOM
SMUGGLING RING RAIDED NEAR SYRIAN BORDER


Fox News
Deadly New U.S. Raid in Iraq
Top Baathist, Insurgent Nabbed
GIs Accused of Smuggling
Immigration Amendment Ties Up Iraq Spending
Bolton Likely to Be Confirmed
Negroponte: I'll Reform Intel


Department of Defense
Iraq Visit: Rumsfeld Focuses on Progress — Story
Soldiers Cheer Rumsfeld in Surprise Visit Photos
Rumsfeld Visits U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Photos
Rumsfeld in Iraq to Meet Troops, Officials
Bush Thanks Fort Hood Troops, Families — Story Photos
Bolton to Focus on Terror, WMD If Confirmed — Story
Myers: Must Continue to Battle Narcoterrorism — Story
Cooperation Critical to Counter Narcoterrorist Threat

ON THE GROUND
Medical Teams Squash Mosquito Threat — Story
Afghan Toddler Treated at Bagram for Burns — Story
Joint Fuels Effort Keeps Airlift Airborne — Story

IN IRAQ
Balad’s Pharmacy Techs Help Save Lives
Recon Soldiers Scout Desert, Meet Locals
Marne, Rainbow Soldiers Get Combat Patch


IN AFGHANISTAN
Battalion Gets a New Look at Insurgents
Civil Affairs Sergeant Organizes Donations

IN KUWAIT
Expeditionary Medical Facility Dallas Cares for Troops

IN BAHRAIN
Squadron Supports Fleet, Maritime Security Ops in Gulf

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Inspection Lab Airmen Play Big Part in Mission

FACE OF DEFENSE
Crew Chief Intrigued by Blackhawk, Chinook Helicopters — Story

Charlie Daniels Band Visits Iraq — Story
Seattle Mariners Salute Troops
Denver Broncos Visit Wounded

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Medal of Honor
Two Years in Iraq
'Gitmo' Detainee Camp

IN IRAQ
U.N. Rep Committed to Iraqi Forces
New President Discusses Coalition
Rebuilding Continues in Diyala
Iraqi Woman-Owned Firm Wins Bid
Iraqi Corps of Engineers Forms
Baghdad Fall Marks New Beginning
Success in Iraq - DoD Fact Sheet
Iraq Daily Update
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Troops Battle Insurgents
Engineer Chief Updates Projects
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps
Afghan Reconstruction Group Recruiting

WAR ON TERRORISM
Troops Bust Smuggling Ring
Guard Medics Return From Exercise
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
BRAC Important for Many Reasons
Moroccan Frigates Guide Kearsarge
National Guard, Reserve Update

HONORING THE FALLEN
Task Force Thunder Honors Fallen — Story

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Marine Casualty — Story


Today in History
1204 - Crusaders occupy Constantinople
1640 - The British Short Parliament forms
1741 - The Dutch protest the bad quality of bread
1796 - Napoleon defeats the Austrians in Millesimo, Italy
1829 - In England, the Emancipation Act grants freedom of religion to Catholics
1860 - The 1st Pony Express arrives in Sacramento, CA
1861 - After 34 hours of bombardment, Fort Sumter surrenders to the Confederates
1863 - Battle of Irish Bend, LA (Fort Bisland)
1865 - Battle of Raleigh NC
1873 - 60 blacks are killed in the Colfax Massacre in Grant Parish, LA
1912 - The Royal Flying Corps, later to become the RAF, forms
1919 - The British Army fires on hundreds of Indian Nationalist rioters, in what will become known as the Amritsar Massacre in India
1920 - Helen Hamilton is appointed as the 1st woman US Civil Service Commissioner
1934 - 4.7 million US families report receiving welfare payments
Congress passes the Johnson Debt Default Act
1940 - In the 2nd battle of Narvik, 8 German destroyers are eliminated
1941 - The Germans assault Tobruk
The Russian-Japan no-attack treaty goes into effect
1943 - FDR dedicates the Jefferson Memorial
Nazis discover a mass grave of Polish officers near Katyn
1945 - Allied forces occupy Vienna
The Canadian army liberates Teuge & Assen, in the Netherlands
US Marines conquer Minna Shima off Okinawa
1959 - A Vatican edict forbids Roman Catholics from voting for communists
1960 - France becomes the 4th nuclear nation, exploding an A-Bomb in Sahara
1961 - The UN General Assembly condemns South Africa for apartheid
1965 - 16-year-old Lawrence Bradford, Jr. becomes the 1st black Congressional page
1970 - Apollo 13 announces "Houston, we've got a problem!" as a Beech-built oxygen tank explodes en route to the Moon
1980 - "TASS" denounces the US boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics
1983 - Harold Washington is elected as the 1st black mayor of Chicago
The US performs a nuclear test at its Nevada Test Site
1984 - The Challenger returns to Earth from the 11th Space Shuttle
1987 - Portugal signs an agreement to return Macau to China in 1999
1994 - The President guard at Kigali, Rwanda, chops 1,200 church members to death
The Target date for Israeli complete withdrawal passes; it has not occurred.

Birthdays
1519 -Catherine de Médici, Queen of Spain/daughter of Henry II
1545 - Elisabeth van Valois, French queen of Spain/daughter of Henri II
1732 - Frederick Lord North, British PM
1743 - Thomas Jefferson Shadwell VA, 3rd US President
1822 - Leroy Augustus Stafford Confederate Brigadier General
William Stephen Walker, Confederate Brigadier General
1892 - Arthur Harris Cheltenham, Marshal of the RAF
Robert A Watson-Watt England, physicist (radar)
1907 - Harold Stassen West (Governor, MN)
1921 - James Wilson, British Lieutenant-General
1922 - John George Vanderbile Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough
1930 - Justice Harman
1933 - Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Senator-CO)
1935 - Kenneth Hayr, air marshal
Peter Heap, diplomat
1937 - Peter M Harris, Official Solicitor (Supreme Court)
1938 - John Weston, diplomat