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Thursday, May 12, 2005


Warrant Officer James R. Newton and Staff Sgt. Pasquale R. Pappalardo show their tattoos honoring Sgt. Byron Norwood, one of 33 casualties 3/1 suffered during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Photo submitted 05/12/2005 Taken by Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Redding

Happy huggy homecoming


EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Staff Sgt. Byron Ling gives a kiss to his fiancee, Staff Sgt. Aja Warren, May 11 upon his return from a deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Families and friends welcomed 73 Airmen returning from Balad Air Base, Iraq, who are assigned to the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron here. Sergeant Ling is assigned to the 96th CES, and Sergeant Warren is assigned to the 96th LRS. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mike Meares)

Full Story - from http://www.af.mil



Welcome Home , THANK YOU, and Job Well Done to all of the returning heroes of the 96th CES and 96th LRS.





RADAR CHECK — U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Legge checks radar assemblies for corrosion on the guided missile cruiser USS Normandy while underway in the Indian Ocean, May 8, 2005. Below, the coastal patrol ships USS Firebolt and USS Typhoon conduct refueling operations. The ships are currently conducting maritime security operations, part of security and counterterrorism efforts to deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Robert McRill

In Today's News - Thursday, May 12, 2005

Quote of the Day
"REAR, n. In American military matters, that exposed part of the army that is nearest to Congress."
-- Ambrose Bierce


News of Note:
Girl Cuts Hair For Uncle Going To Iraq
Marine Killed by Small-Arms Fire in Iraq
Japanese hostage may be dead, company says
Troop who refused Iraq deployment charged
Two Camp Lejeune Marines killed in Iraq
Two GIs From 'Adopted' Colorado Unit Die In Iraq
Critics say satellite TV beams Arab, Western `poison' into Iraq
Lorton Woman Goes To Trial For Iraqi Prison Abuse
Evidence of European Oil-for-Food Graft
Senate Subcommittee Report (pdf)


JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Errant flight prompts Capital evacuations
Bolton's chances for approval brighten
34 bases on worst toxic waste sites list
Colonel reprimanded over Abu Ghraib abuse
Iraqi insurgents go on rampage, kill 69


Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iran poised to end nuclear activity freeze
Israelis celebrate 57th independence day
Rocket fired from Lebanon lands in Israel
FBI praises Saudi crackdown on militants
Sudan lifts ban on pro-opposition paper
Israel official says no Gaza pullout delay
Lebanon church seeks new election law
Rockets fired in Samawah, no casualties
Kuwait draws up charges against Saddam
Battle near border puts pressure on Syria


The US News: Iraq News
Four suicide attacks kill at least 71 in Iraq
Iraqi militant group claims Tikrit bombing-Web
Iraq cabinet deal falters as Sunni rejects post
Australia again appeals for release of hostage in Iraq
Insurgents Unleash Deadly Attacks in Iraqi Cities, U.S. Forces Push Toward Syrian Border
Japan Considering Exit Strategy From Iraq
Iraqi president seeks South American aid


CENTCOM
SECURITY MEASURES CONTINUE TO YIELD WEAPONS AND TERROR SUSPECTS
OPERATION MATADOR CONTINUES INTO FOURTH DAY


Various Sources
Battle near border puts pressure on Syria
Infamous pics allowed in Abu Ghraib trial
Arab-South American summit condemns 'terrorist' attacks in Iraq, eyes closer cooperation


Fox News
Bombings Kill Eight Iraqis, Two Marines
Iran Denies Claims of Halted Nuke Activities
Grenade Thrown at Bush Speech
Abu Ghraib Colonel Won't Be Reprimanded
N. Korea Moves Toward Plutonium Extraction
Experts: Ethnic Rifts Dividing Al Qaeda
Probe Into U.N. Nom Bolton Continues; Vote Expected
Pakistan Won't Hand over Al Qaeda No. 3 to U.S. Soon
Afghan Protests Reach Kabul


Department of Defense
Fighter Jets Respond to Stray Aircraft — Story
Operation Matador Continues in Iraqi Province — Story
Operation Cobweb Targets Enemy in Wasit Province
Top Docs Applaud Congress for Care Initiative — Story

ON THE GROUND
Villagers Ask for Security Presence in Bermel — Story
Iraqi Freedom Combat Equipment Returns — Story Photos
'Desert Dogs' Keep Aircraft in the Air — Story

IN IRAQ
Forward Deployed Medics Save Lives Behind Scenes
Army Chief of Staff Visits Vanguard Troops
Work Begins on New Vehicle Repair Facility
Battle Assessment Reviews Hero's Fight
Soldiers Transform Bunker into Coffee Shop
Infantry Soldiers Hunt for Weapons Caches

IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Paratroopers Deal Blow to Taliban Forces

IN THE PERSIAN GULF
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship Supports Iraqi Navy
USS Mustin Conducts Maritime Security Ops
Australian-Led Command Patrols Persian Gulf

FACE OF DEFENSE
Twins Serve at Camp Fallujah — Story

'Hugs4Smiles' Supports Troops — Story

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS

Base Realignment and Closure 2005

IN IRAQ
Operation Targets Insurgents
Vinson Aircraft Strike Insurgents
Training Key to Reconstruction
USACE Welcomes Engineer Interns
Success in Iraq - DoD Fact Sheet
Year in Review 2004 Fact Sheets (pdf)
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
Program Aims to Repatriate
Giambastiani Visits Troops
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps
Afghan Reconstruction Group Recruiting

WAR ON TERRORISM
Pakistanis Safeguard Gulf of Oman
Bush Thanks Georgia for Support
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Committee Reviews Pay Package
Rumsfeld, Latin Leaders Confer
Ohio Guard Engineer Team Deploys
Marines: Vests Offer Protection
Pilot Gets Award for Saving Crew
USS Nimitz Strike Group Deploys
National Guard, Reserve Update

TRANSFORMATION
BRAC: Communities Get Guidance — Story
Special Office Aids Communities
BRAC Process Sets Stage
BRAC Examines Surge Capability
Commander Talks Basing Priorities

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Casualties — Story


Weather
from The Weather Channel

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar


This Day in History
1604 - The Spanish garrison of Aardenburg surrenders to Mauritius.
1780 - Charleston, SC falls to the British
1789 - The Society of St. Tammany is formed by Revolutionary War soldiers, later becoming an in famous NYC political group.
1792 - A toilet that flushes itself at regular intervals is patented.
1862 - Federal troops occupies Baton Rouge, LA.
1864 - Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia.
1870 - Manitoba becomes a province of Canada.
1881 - Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
1898 - Louisiana adopts a new constitution with a clause designed to eliminate black voters.
1915 - Croatians plunder Armenia; 250 are killed.
1925 - Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan become autonomous Soviet republics.
1928 - Mussolini ends woman's rights in Italy.
1933 - The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and Agricultural Adjustment Administration are formed.
1940 - Nazi conquest of France begins when the Germans cross the Meuse River.
1942 - 1,500 Jews are gassed in Auschwitz.
- A German U-boat sinks an American cargo ship at mouth of Mississippi River.
1943 - German troops in Tunisia surrender.
1944 - More than 900 8th Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen, and Brüx.
1949 - The Berlin Airlift begins.
1951 - On Enewetak Atoll, the first H-Bomb test occurs.
1963 - A race riot erupts in Birmingham, AL.
1964 - Manlio Brosio is named secretary-general of NATO.
1965 - Israel and West Germany begin diplomatic relations.
1970 - Harry A. Blackmun is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.
1970 - 6 blacks are killed (5 of them by police) during race riots in Augusta, GA.
1975 - The U.S. merchant vessel Mayaguez is seized by Cambodian forces.
1980 - Maxie Anderson and his son, Chris, complete the first non-stop crossing of the U.S. via hot-air balloon.
1982 - In Portugal, a Spanish priest with a bayonet is stopped before he can attack Pope John Paul II.
1986 - President Reagan appoints Dr. James C. Fletcher Administrator of NASA
1989 - Retired British pilot Jack Mann is kidnapped by Islamic extremists
1997 - 14 North Koreans defect to South Korea

Birthdays
1670 - August II ("The Strong One"), King of Poland - had over 350 children.
1806 - Amos Beebe Eaton, Union Brevet Major General
1812 - Louis Ludwig Blenker, Union Brigadier General
1889 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank
1910 - Dorothy Crowfoot-Hodgkin, British chemist / Nobel prize winner
1914 - Dan Daniel (Representative-VA)
- Howard K Smith, TV newsman
1922 - Barend Busnac, resistance fighter
1926 - Earl Hutto (Representative-FL)
- Mervyn M. Dymally (Representative-CA, )
1928 - Manuel Lujan, Jr. (Representative-NM)
1936 - Tom Snyder, newscaster
1937 - Gerry E. Studds (Representative-MA)
1938 - Andrei Amalrik Russian dissident
1939 - Ronald Ziegler press secretary to Richard Nixon.
1942 - Dumitru Dediu Romania, cosmonaut (Soyuz 40 backup)

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