Sgt. Andrew Derrick, from the 411th Military Police Company, shows an Iraqi policeman the correct shooting stance during training at the weapons range of the Rusafa Police Station in Baghdad. Photo by Pfc. Laura Bigenho.

Greetings Supporters!
We have received several emails asking if the rally is still on and the answer is YES!
We had considered postponing the rally because of the tragic events in the Gulf Cost, but New York Officials have not stopped their efforts to raise funds for the International Freedom Center (IFC) and there is no time for inaction. Yesterday, New York Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, urged American corporations to continue to fund his vision of a 9/11 memorial, one that includes the IFC.

Over the course of the last ten days, we have channeled our energies into Katrina relief. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. But New York Officials are moving ahead aggressively to ensure the IFC remains part of the memorial to the heroes of 9/11. For that reason, the rally must take place as scheduled.
So stories in the Washington Post that have begun referring to the campaign to take back the memorial in the past tense are wrong. To take a cue from Mark Twain, the reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The IFC, the LMDC, Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg are not off the hook.
With the plight of our fellow Americans in the wake of Katrina, our tone will change. However, our determination and our message will not. The International Freedom Center must go. We look forward to seeing you there!

WHERE TO MEET
At the World Trade Center Site (corners of Church and Liberty Streets in front of the stage)

TIME
Program will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 10:30 a.m.SIGNSFamily Member Group members will have a limited number of signs to hand out. Please feel free to bring a signs. All signs should reflect the message: No politics where heroes died - The IFC Must Go.

RALLY PROGRAM
Rally Welcome and Moment of Silence and Reflection, Anthony Gardner, Brother of Harvey Joseph Gardner III

Nondenominational Prayer Frank Siller, Brother of Firefighter Stephen Siller, 9/11 Families for Katrina Relief

Edie Lutnick, Sister of Gary Lutnick

Jim Slevin, Uniformed Firefighters Association

Jack Lynch, Father of Firefighter Michael Lynch

Michael Burke, Brother of Captain William Burke

Closing Remarks, Patricia Reilly, Sister of Lorraine Lee

God Bless America, performed by Patrick Lynch, Brother of Firefighter Michael F. Lynch

*Take Back the Memorial Rally organizers will be available for Q & A at designated press risers.

Young children from Sadr City, Iraq, line up for fresh, clean water at the Thawrat-Al-Hijara School, Aug 9, 2005. The school received the first of 27 water compact units and is producing 15,000 liters of water per day. By September 2005, 27 units will be in operation throughout the city offering a combined output of over 400,000 liters daily. The Iraqi Ministry of Education and Water, the Amanat, and the local city government is coordinating the program. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


Kareem, Fallujah's electric network manager, checks a spool of electrical cable at Camp Fallujah's 10,000-square-meter laydown yard in Iraq. Kareem toured the site Aug. 13, 2005, to see the first shipment of $425,000 worth of transformers, power lines, utility poles, conductors, switchboards and insulators that will be used to upgrade Fallujah's electric network. In all, up to $22 million of electrical materials will eventually be purchased. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


Iraqi construction workers build walls for the new Al Tamoz Primary Healthcare Center, one of six new primary healthcare centers, in Sadr City, Iraq, Aug 9, 2005. The centers are currently between 20 to 40 percent complete under contracts totaling $3.7 million and are scheduled to open later this year. Each is a two-story, 1,155 square meter facility providing space for medical/dental examination and treatment, x-ray capabilities, vaccination, testing lab, pharmacy and public education. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


U.S. Army Maj. Dan Hibner and the Fallujah Water Department director review the drawings of a proposed new water main in Fallujah, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2005. Hibner is the officer in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central District Fallujah Office. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jamie Gayton looks over an aerator at Iraq's largest sewage treatment facility in Rustamiyah, Iraq, Aug 5, 2005. The aerator underwent an extensive renovation. The facility is treating 100 percent of all effluent coming from the 2 million residents of Sadr City and is capable of handling 470,000 cubic meters per day (86,000 gallons per minute). Gayton is the brigade troops battalion commander, assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


Patricia Mason, Gulf Region Central District, inventories utility poles being delivered to Forward Operating Base Loyalty, as materials start to arrive for a new $106 million electrical network being installed in Sadr City, Iraq. The first 500 nine-meter poles have been delivered. The project calls for over 30,000 utility poles, 23,820 street lights, and 294 transformers. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones


The Al Thalith Primary Healthcare Center, shown here on Aug. 9, 2005, is one of the six new primary healthcare centers in Sadr City, Iraq. The centers are currently between 20 to 60 percent complete under contracts totaling $3.7 million and are scheduled to open later in 2005. Each is a two-story, 1,155 square meter facility providing space for medical/dental examination and treatment, X-ray capabilities, vaccination, testing lab, pharmacy and public education. U.S. Army photo by Norris Jones

News of Note
Hurricane Katrina
Iraqi Soldiers Donate to Katrina Victims
Improving Outlook?
FEMA Chief Taken Off On-Site Efforts
FEMA Scraps Debit Card Program
Known for being a skillful manager
Evacuees praise Red Cross
Photo Essays
Hurricane Katrina: Day 12

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Baghdad Airport Reopens
Iraqi forces launch attack on Tal Afar
For a U.S. Platoon in Iraq, Merciless Missions (Really good read)

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghan Chopper Crashes

Homeland Security / War on Terror
U.S. indicts Iraqi-born Dutch citizen
Judge rules vs. U.S. in Patriot Act case

BRAC News
Base Report Blasts Pentagon
Supreme Court Denies Bush's Base-Closure Request
Admin. Asks Supreme Court to Step Into Base-Closure Fray
Conn. Judge Blocks Bradley Base Realignment

9/11
9/11 Slur Prof to Be Probed
Congress Probing 9/11 Loans
Court: Padilla Can Be Held
General Shares 9/11 Thoughts
Group Raises $8 Million for Pentagon Memorial
Attack Anniversary Poignant for Renovation Manager
Son Recalls Loss of Parents in 9/11 Attack

Fox News
Ophelia Weakens Again
Veterans Eye Seats in Congress
ID Theft Disclosure
Stars Gather for Katrina Telethon
Video
DHS: Brown to Return to D.C.
Debit Cards Cut

Reuters: Top News
EU ministers turn heat on US and firms over fuel prices
Israeli troops ready to roll out of Gaza
New Orleans recovers its dead
Koizumi clings to lead on eve of Japan's election
Klansman's bail revoked
US says confident in Annan, urges big UN reform
Black refugees ask if Utah will really accept them

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Guard stretched between Katrina, wars
Katrina death toll may not hit 10,000

The Seattle Times
"I just went from hell to Vegas"
NFL notebook: Saints still looking for a place to play
Vintage airplane damaged in forced landing

Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
More than 140 rebels killed in Tal Afar: Dulaimi
Jordan PM makes first post-Saddam visit to Iraq
APTN cameraman hurt in Iraq
Insurgents open 'southern front' with deadly car-bomb in Basra
Iraq not ready for relations with Israel
U.S. Forces Chase Ghost Fighters Amid Iraqis

CENTCOM: News Release
MOSUL DAM REPAIRS: SAFETY, ELECTRICITY, AND IRRIGATION FOR THE TIGRIS BASINS

Department of Defense
Bush: Victory Will Honor Terror Victims — Story Remarks
Talabani Thanks 'Heroes' Who Liberated Iraq — Story
Iraq, Afghanistan Make Progress in Education — Story

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi Army Closer to Working Independently — Story
Army Veterinary Program Aids Iraqi Livestock — Story
Headset Saves Soldier’s Hearing in IED Blast — Story
Marines Saved by Combat Protective Gear —Story

IN IRAQ
Army Mechanics Keep Copters Battle Ready
U.S.-Iraqi Teamwork Key to Reconstruction

IN AFGHANISTAN
Paratroopers Beat Back Taliban Ambush

FACE OF DEFENSE
Marine Sees Hope for Children — Story

REMEMBERING 9/11
The Pentagon Memorial site and the America’s Heroes Memorial located inside the building will be opened to the public for the first time since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, on Saturday, Sept.10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
San Diego Chargers Salute Troops — Story

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Hurricane Katrina

IN IRAQ
Police Graduate From Courses
Rescued American Heads Home
Dam Repairs Benefit Tigris Basins
Training Unit Changes Commands
Democratic Process Continues
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq

IN AFGHANISTAN
Meeting Focus: Food Crop Growth
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Officials Learned From 2001 Attack
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
La. Guard Ready to Aid Recovery
Team Aids Storm-Affected Troops
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Army Casualties — Story

Weather
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

Gitmo

Today in History
1349 - Jews who survived a massacre in Constance Germany are burned to death.
1608 - John Smith is elected president of the Jamestown colony council in VA.
1776 - George Washington asks for a spy volunteer; Nathan Hale volunteers.
1813 - Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeats the British in the Battle of Lake Erie.
1823 - Simon Bolivar is named president of Peru.
1846 - Elias Howe patents the sewing machine.
1869 - A Baptist minister invents the rickshaw in Yokohama, Japan.
1882 - The first international conference to promote anti-semitism meets in Germany (Congress for Safeguarding of Non-Jewish Interests).
1899 - In Alaska, the second earthquake in a week hits.
1910 - The Great Idaho Fire destroys 3 million acres of timber.
1939 - Canada declares war on Germany.
1945 - Vidkun Quisling is sentenced to death for collaborating with Nazis.
1953 - Swanson sells its first "TV dinner."
1963 - Twenty Black students entered public schools in Alabama.
1967 - Gibraltar votes to remain British (12,138 - 44)
1974 - Guinea-Bissau gains independence from Portugal.
1979 - Three Puerto Rican nationalists who attempted to kill Truman are released.
1990 - Iran agrees to resume diplomatic ties with Iraq.

Birthdays
1736 - Carter Braxton, signer of the Declaration of Independence
1836 - Joseph Wheeler, Confederate Major General / Cavalry Commander, Army of Tennesee
1839 - Isaac Kauffman Funk, publisher (Funk & Wagnalls)
1887 - Giovanni Gronchi, president of Italy
1907 - Fay Wray Alberta Canada, actress ("King Kong")
1933 - Yevgeny V. Khrunov, cosmonaut (Soyuz-5)
1934 - Charles Kuralt, newscaster (On the Road)
1935 - John Palmer, news anchor (NBC Weekend News)
1945 - Richard M. Mullane, USAF / astronaut (STS 41-D, STS-27, STS-36)

Passings
1419 - John the Fearless, French warrior, murdered
1842 - Letitia Tyler, First Lady to President Tyler
1977 - Hamida Djandoubi, convicted murderer, last to die in the guillotine
1990 - Samuel Kanyon Doe, president of Liberia, assassinated

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Rivers, Wendell B., USN (NE); A4E shot down (pilot), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1966
Peterson, Douglas B., USAF (IA); F4C shot down (pilot, w/Talley), released by DRV March, 1973 - served as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam (1997-2002)

Talley, Bernard L., USAF (MD); F4C shot down (co-pilot, w/Peterson), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Tatum, Lawrence B., USAF (TN); A1E shot down, declared dead in 1976, official status still MIA

1971
Cornwell, Leroy J. III, USAF (AZ); F4D shot down, (RIO, w/Ivan), remains retutrned August, 1994 - ID'd March, 1996

Ivan, Andrew, Jr., USAF (NJ); F4D shot down, (pilot, w/Cornwell), remains returned August, 1994 - ID'd March, 1996

1972
Musselman, Stephen Owen, USN (TX); A7C shot down (pilot), remains returned July, 1981

1974
Dean, Charles, Civilian tourist; captured in Laos by the Pathet Lao