The Hugh Hewitt Show is a syndicated center-right political talk show on AM radio in the US. Each month , we drop politics for a segment and do about fifteen minutes on a poet or poetry theme. On April 26 we are planning a segment on poetry written by active duty military. I am trying to contactas many milblogs as I can and get contributions and permission to read them on the air. If I get enough, I am even thinking of trying to get a publisher interested in doing a book. I am looking for everything from hip-hop to lyrics to straight poetry.

Send poem submissions with a short note giving permission to read on the air to:

tarzanajoe@hotmail.com

Also, please pass this e-mail around to as many milblogs and active military as you can. I'm a poet-pundit on a deadline.

Thanks,
Tarzana Joe
(Joe Santi)

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael D. Clouser, assigned plane captain duties with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, signals the pilot of an EA-6B Prowler during pre-flight inspections at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. One of the plane captain’s duties during the inspections is to ensure that all the hydraulic flight controls are properly working and the aircraft is ready for flight. The squadron maintenance department logged 8,242 maintenance man-hours in the month of March 2005, roughly the equivalent of three months of maintenance back in the United States. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kevin J. Spencer, an airframes mechanic assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, works to sand down an edge to ensure the door doesn’t hit when it is retracted, at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. The airframe mechanics ensure the body and "skin" of the aircraft stay in top condition. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ruben Martinez, right, a powerlines mechanic assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, takes an oil sample from the starboard engine of a recently returned EA-6B Prowler at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. After taking a sample from the port engine, Lance Cpl. Steve D. Weber, a powerlines mechanic, safety ties the oil pan.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Steve D. Weber, a powerlines mechanic assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, collects an oil sample from the engine of a EA-6B Prowler soon after it returns from a mission at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. The maintenance Marines can determine the "‘health" of an engine by analyzing the content of its oil. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Mike D. Quist, an ordnance chief assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, fastens the last screw to secure the flares used to counter enemy attacks. When the aircraft senses it is being tracked by a heat-seeking missile, the flares deploy to throw off the heat signature of the aircraft. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph A. Hamdy, an electrician assigned to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, plugs power into an EA-6B Prowler so maintenance Marines can conduct daily maintenance after it returns from a mission at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis




U.S. Marines, assigned maintenance duties with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, help pilots with their gear as they return from a mission at at Al Asad, Iraq, April 13, 2005. The squadron maintenance department logged 8,242 maintenance man-hours in the month of March 2005, roughly the equivalent of three months of maintenance back in the United States. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis

http://www.defendamerica.mil

MANAS ARRIVAL — After landing at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, left, greets Manas Air Base Commander, U.S. Air Force Col. Brad Pray, right, and the American Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Stephen Young, center, April 14, 2005. Defense Dept. photo by Robin Hicks Story

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Four charged in U.N. oil-for-food scandal
Bush seeking more flexible passports rule
Twin car bombings kill 18 in Baghdad


Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Wolfensohn to help in Gaza after pullout
Turkish troops kill 21 Kurdish rebels
Fire engulfs Baghdad's central food market
Lebanon minister urges timely elections


The US News: Iraq News
U.S. Troops Engage in War of Words in Iraq
Italy, U.S. Clash Over Investigation Into Shooting of Italian Agent in Iraq
Iraqi delegation in Moscow to revive ties
Iraqis Ask for $1 Billion in Aid for Food Purchases
Indiana Family, Friends Wait, Pray For Hostage In Iraq
Indiana Man's Abduction In Iraq 'Kick In Stomach' To Friends
Suicide bomber kills four policemen in central Iraq
American hostage was trying to help Iraq with water


Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Video Shows Allegedly Kidnapped Pakistani


Fox News
Soyuz Rocket Blasts Off
NASA Fuels Shuttle Discovery
GI Wrote of Killing Comrades
New Oil-for-Food Indictments
Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 18
Photo Essay: Bomb Scene
FBI Slow on Nichols Tip
Senate Panel OKs Intel Chief


Department of Defense
Rumsfeld Visits Troops in Kyrgyzstan — Story
Rumsfeld: Troops Earn Place in History Photos
Afghanistan Seeking Closer, Long-Term Ties to U.S.
Security Improves in Southern Afghanistan
Wolfowitz Salutes Troop Accomplishments — Story

ON THE GROUND
Team Maintains Law, Order at Tallil Air Base — Story
Fallujah’s Only Hospital to be Rebuilt — Story
Marines Relate Events of Abu Ghraib Attack — Story

IN IRAQ
Joint Operation Targets Terror Ringleaders
MPs Patrol, Provide Security, Press On
Medical Teams Squash Mosquito Threat
Iraq Visit: Rumsfeld Focuses on Progress
Soldiers Cheer Rumsfeld in Surprise Visit Photos
Rumsfeld Visits U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Photos
Rumsfeld in Iraq to Meet Troops, Officials

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Toddler Treated at Bagram for Burns
Battalion Gets a New Look at Insurgents
Civil Affairs Sergeant Organizes Donations

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Airman Finds, Destroys Unexploded Ordnance

IN UZBEKISTAN
Life-Support Techs Keep Airlifters Rescue Ready

FACE OF DEFENSE
Deployed Father, Son Reunite in Kuwait — Story

HOMECOMING
Photos: Fox Company Marines Return from Iraq

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

IN IRAQ
Reservist Earns Silver Star
Iraq Joins Maritime Exercise
U.N. Rep Committed to Iraqi Forces
Success in Iraq - DoD Fact Sheet
Year in Review 2004 Fact Sheets (pdf)
Iraq Daily Update
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Army Nabs Terror Suspect
U.S. Troops Battle Insurgents
Engineer Chief Updates Projects
Defense Leaders' Views on Afghanistan
Enduring Freedom Marks 3 Years
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps
Afghan Reconstruction Group Recruiting

WAR ON TERRORISM
Official Briefs Senate on NSPS
Myers: Cooperation Grows Photos
Negroponte: Will Close Intel Gaps
Bush Thanks Troops, Families
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Disabled Vets Praise New Program
Guard, Reserve Vital but Stressed
Retention, Recruiting Goals Met
Mother Shows Resolve
National Guard, Reserve Update


Today in History
1450 - The French defeat the English at the Battle of Formigny (100 Years' War)
1493 - Columbus meets with King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain
1654 - England & the Netherlands signs a peace treaty
1738 - The bottle opener is invented
1788 - England, Prussia, and the Netherlands sign a peace treaty
1800 - James Ross discovers the magnetic North Pole
1817 - The 1st American school for the deaf opens in CT
1858 - Mexicans defeat Spanish loyalists at the Battle of Azimghur
1861 - President Abraham Lincoln mobilizes the Federal Army, 75,000 strong
1864 - General Steeles' and Union troops occupy Camden, AR
1865 - Otto von Bismarck is elevated to Earl
1870 - The last day US silver coins are allowed to circulate in Canada
1877 - The first telephone is installed in Boston-Somerville, MA
1910 - William Howard Taft becomes the first US President to throw out the first ball at a baseball game
1912 - HMS Titanic sinks at 2:27 a.m, in the North Atlantic
1927 - Switzerland & the USSR agree to diplomatic relations
1940 - British troops land at Narvik Norway
1941 - The first helicopter flight of an hour duration occurs in CT
1945 - FDR is buried in Hyde Park
British & Canadian troops liberate Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
US troops occupy Colditz concentration camp
1948 - Israel defeats the Arabs in the first Jewish-Arab military battle
1952 - The first test flight of a B-52 prototype
US nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1955 - US nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1959 - Fidel Castro begins a US goodwill tour
US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles resigns
1964 - The Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens
1969 - North Korea shoots at a US airplane over the Sea of Japan
1970 - Qadhafi launches the "Green Revolution
1978 - Great Britain performs a nuclear test
1984 - USSR performs a nuclear test
1986 - The US, responding to the LaBelle disco bombing in Berlin, conducts air raids in Libya
1988 - A meteorite explodes above Indonesia
1989 - Pro-democracy students protest in Beijing
1991 - Europe lifts most of the remaining sanctions against South Africa

Birthdays
1452 - Leonardo da Vinci, artist / scientist
1684 - Empress Catherine I of Russia
1800 - Sir James Clark Ross, explorer
1820 - Evander McNair, Confederate Brigadier General
1822 - Napolean Jackson Tecumseh Dana , Union Major General
1829 - Mary Harris Thompson, first female American surgeon
1837 - Horace Porter Brevet, Union Brigadier General
1912 - Kim II Sung , North Korean president
1919- Clive Beadon, Airman
1921 - Georgi Timofeyevich Beregovoi, Soviet cosmonaut
1922 - Harold Washington, first black mayor of Chicago
1932 - Nikolai Stepanovich Porvatkin, Soviet cosmonaut
1941 - Howard L. Berman (Representative, CA)
1946 - Wayne Gilchrest (Representative, MD)
1951 - Marsha S. Ivins astronaut
1951 - John L. Phillips, PhD/astronaut
1956 - Gregory J. Harbaugh astronaut
1965 - Soichi Noguchi,astronaut