U.S. Navy sailors attached to the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Cole bear a ceremonial wreath as they circle the USS Cole Memorial on Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 12, 2005. The ceremony commemorated the fifth anniversary of the bombing, which claimed the lives of 17 crewmembers as Cole was docking in Aden, Yemen. U. S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher Okula


U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Hersey, a trumpet player from the Armed Forces School of Music on Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., plays taps Oct. 12, 2005, during a memorial ceremony for sailors killed during the attack on the USS Cole Oct. 12, 2000. The ceremony commemorated the fifth anniversary of the bombing, which claimed the lives of 17 crewmembers as Cole was docking in Aden, Yemen. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher Okula


U.S. Navy sailors attached to the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Cole bear a ceremonial wreath as they circle the USS Cole Memorial on Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 12, 2005. The ceremony was held at the USS Cole Memorial to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the bombing, which claimed the lives of 17 crewmembers as Cole was docking in Aden, Yemen, Oct. 12, 2000. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher Okula


The commanding officer of the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Cole, Cmdr. Brian Solo, speaks to a crowd gathered on Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Oct. 12, 2005, to honor the lives of sailors killed during the Oct. 12, 2000, terrorist attack on the Cole. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher Okula


Current crewmembers of the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Cole gather Oct. 12, 2005, on Naval Station Norfolk, Va., with the friends and family members of sailors killed during the Oct. 12, 2000, terrorist attack. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Christopher Okula

Read the story associated with these photos at DefenseLink

SCHOOL PREPARATION— U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Robert L. Long, scout sniper platoon commander, hands Afghan village girls their new school outfits, Oct. 3, 2005. Over 600 girls were given new clothes to wear to school. For most, this was the first new clothing received in over a year. Long is from Berkley Heights, N.J. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Robert M. Storm

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi Vote Begins
Security is tight at nation's polls
Tribes Have Critical Role in Vote
Insurgents Attack Polling Stations in Iraq
Three Provinces Seen As Key in Iraq Vote
Sabotage causes blackout on eve of referendum
Iraqis, Americans Work for Safe Elections Video
Military Success Dependent on Political Process
Iraq Takes Another Step Toward Democracy
Forces Foil Terrorist Attack on Polling Station
Colonel's Passion Unabated by Slaying
Some common questions on the charter referendum
Saddam Lawyers Plan to Challenge Tribunal

Operation Enduring Freedom
Army Reservists Help Rebuild Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Al Qaeda exploits 'blue-eyed' Muslim converts
Russian Police Round Up Muslim Men
Russian Troops Comb City for Militants
Dutch Detain 7 in Anti-Terror Sweep

Hurricane Season
New Orleans Resets Curfew
Louisiana probes euthanasia allegations

Pakistan Earthquake
Kashmir quake toll nears 40,000 as rain hits relief
Devout See Quake As Test of Faith

Moonbat Watch
Farrakhan's View
Read John Gibson's Interview

Sports News
White Sox Clip Angels, 5-2
Phoenix steals what appeared an easy Sonics win

News from My Neck of the Woods
Too Old to Conceive?
(Connecticut sets an age limit of 39 on in-vitro fertilization)
Rains Soak Northeast
N.J. declares state of emergency
Northeast under flood warnings
Photo Essay: Northeast Waterlogged
Video: Wicked Weather

Other News of Note
Pentagon: Bush Troop Talk Not Staged or Scripted
Remains of Star Trek's 'Scotty' headed for space

Fox News
Ousted Ecuadorean President Arrested Upon Return Home
Pakistan Search Winds Down
Justice Thomas Delays Ordered Inmate Abortion
Consumer Prices Soar
Consumer Confidence Plunges
Poll: Americans Getting Ruder
Catholic Priest Recruitment Program Launched
Planes Collide in Mid-Air
WHO: Bird-Flu Risk 'Very Low'
Russia Fighting Toll Over 100- Video: Putin Talks Tough
Race to File for Bankruptcy
Poor Work Methods Led to Loss of Foam on Discovery
Yahoo in Talks for AOL Stake
Cheney On Iraq, Miers
Video: Cheney on Iraq
Transcript: Cheney on 'Report'
Energetic Incentives
Consumer Prices Soar in September
Yahoo Reportedly in Talks for AOL Stake
GE Profit Surges, Boosted by Jet Engine Sales
Deutsche Bank U.S. Ordered to Prevent Money Laundering
Retail Sales Up Weaker-Than-Expected 0.2% in Sept.
Karl Rove Makes Final Grand Jury Appearance
Budget Deficit Drops Below Last Year's Record

Reuters: Top News
Tests confirm deadly bird flu strain in Romania
U.S. government's expenses questioned
Daniel Craig named as first blond Bond
Microsoft, Nigeria fight email scammers
(Can't even count how many of these emails I've gotten)
2005 set to be second hottest year on record
Bird flu virus shows signs of evading newest drug

AP World News
Rice Fails to Win Russian Support on Iran
Defiant Turks Dismiss Bird Flu Claims
Iran Warned to Clear Up Nuclear Questions
American Fugitive Detained in Mexico
Schroeder Has Farewell Dinner With Chirac
Bolton: U.N. Council Expansion Will Fail
U.S.-Based Chinese Dissident Gets Life
Every Inch Counts for West Bank Barrier

The Seattle Times
New strategy on Miers planned
Popular doll-maker becomes target of conservative protest
Vietnamese girl had bird flu resistant to drug

Boston Globe: World
Zimbabwe defends US envoy's detention
Ukraine's top prosecutor is fired after initiating probes of president's ally
Bolton rejects UN council plan

Military.com
Report: VA Misses Symptoms in Some Exams
Navy Jet Crashes; Pilot Bails
Army's Last MASH Unit Deploying to Pakistan

CENTCOM: News Release
ASSISTANT TO SENIOR AL QAEDA LEADER IN IRAQ APPREHENDED
USS PEARL HARBOR, SEABEES TO TAKE RELIEF EQUIPMENT TO AID EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
TASK FORCE BAGHDAD SOLDIERS CATCH BOMBERS IN THE ACT
INSURGENT ATTACK KILLS AND WOUNDS DETAINESS
U.S. SOLDIERS FIND, DISABLE CAR BOMB THANKS TO IRAQI TIP

Department of Defense
ON THE GROUND
Top Marine Visits Troops in Afghanistan — Story

IN IRAQ
Brigade Prepares Security at Polling Sites
Texas Guard Troops Maintain Combat Edge Photos
Iraqi Police, U.S. Troops Trap Terror Suspects Photos
Sulayminyah School Projects Nearly Complete
Tall Afar Meeting Addresses School Openings

IN AFGHANISTAN
Photos: Camp Eggers Celebrates Navy Birthday

FACE OF DEFENSE
Brothers Watch Each Other's Backs in Iraq — Story

HOMECOMING
Seabee Unit Returns From Deployment Photos
Marine Helicopter Unit Returns to Camp Pendleton

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Saints Raise Spirits of Wounded — Story
Operation Hope Links GIs, Families —Story

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Hurricane Coverage
Iraq Transition of Power

IRAQ
Officials Note River Gate Successes
Security Progress Cited Report
U.S., Iraqi Forces Disrupt Terrorists
Bush, Troops Talk Security Video
Security Increased for Referendum
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
Iraq Progress Fact Sheet (pdf)

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
USS Cole Sailors Remembered
Rice Assures Afghanistan, Pakistan
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Top Employers Honored for Support
Rumsfeld Highlights Relationship
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
DoD Identifies 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

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1520 - King Henry VIII of England orders bowling lanes at Whitehall.
1641 - Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve claims Montreal.
1655 - Jews in Lublin, Poland, are massacred.
1789 - In New England, George Washington makes the first presidental tour.
1846 - Dr. William Thomas Green Morton makes the first public use of Ether.
1860 - 11-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Abraham Lincoln, telling him to grow a beard.
1883 - The U.S. Supreme Court declares the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional.
1914 - The Clayton Antitrust Act is passed.
1928 - The German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin" lands in Lakehurst, NJ.
1933 - The Philadelphia Eagles play their fiirst NFL game, losing to the NY Giants 56-0.
1939 - LaGuardia Airport opens (NYC).
1941 - The Nazis command that Jews caught outside the Ghetto walls (Poland) can be put to death.
1949 - Administration of the territory of Manipur is taken over by the Indian government.
1951 - "I Love Lucy" debuts on CBS TV.
1956 - William J. Brennan, Jr., is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1959 - "The Untouchables" premieres on TV.
1962 - Byron R. White is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1964 - Craig Breedlove sets an auto speed record of 846.97 kph; Kosygin and Brezhnev replace Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev.
1966 - President Johnson signs a bill creating the Department of Transportation.
1969 - Vietnam Moratorium Day - widescale protests.
1974 - The National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing.
1979 - The NY Knicks retire Walt Frazier's # 10.
1983 - U.S. Marine sharpshooters kill five snipers at Beirut International Airport.
1985 - The Space Shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit; Shelley Taylor of Australia makes the fastest swim ever around Manhattan Island (6 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds).
1987 - The NFL Players Association orders an end to the 24-day strike.
1989 - Billy Graham is given the 1,900th star on Hollywood Boulevard; South African president FW de Klerk frees Sisulu and four other political prisoners.
1991 - Clarence Thomas is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice (52-48)

Birthdays
70 BC- Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro), poet
1542 - Akbar, Indian Mughal emperor (1556-1605)
1785 - Jose Miguel Carrera, president of Chile (1811-14)
1829 - Asaph Hall, discoverer of Martian satellites Phobos and Deimos
1844 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher/anti-semite
1917 - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., historian / author (1946 Pulitzer-Age of Jackson)
1921 - Mario Puzo, author (Godfather)
1924 - Lee A. Iacocca, CEO (Chrysler Corp)
1959 - Sarah Ferguson ("Fergie"), Duchess of York

Passings
1910 - Stanley "Midnight Assassin" Ketchel, heavyweight boxing champ, shot
1917 - Mata Hari, Dutch dancer/German spy, executed by firing squad in Paris
1945 - Pierre Laval, former premier of Vichy France, executed
1946 - Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichmarshal, poisoned himself in prison
1964 - Cole Porter, composer

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Schuler, Robert H., Jr., USAF (NY); F105D shot down (pilot, in same flight w/Sima)

Sima, Thomas W., USAF (PA); F105D shot down (pilot, in same flight w/Schuler), released by DRV February, 1973 - left the service after his return