Manama, Bahrain (Oct. 15, 2005) - Aviation Structural Mechanic Devon Kimble, a native of Denver, Colo., and Aviation Machinist Mate Roderick Woods a native of Poplar Bluff, Mo., control an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter as it is loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, Oct. 15. The Seahawk belonging to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Six (HSC-26) will help deliver medical supplies, water and tents to earthquake victims in Pakistan. In addition to providing support as part of maritime security operations in the region, the squadron will deploy 25 Sailors and two MH-60S helicopters to help those in need in Pakistan. The United States government is participating in a multinational humanitarian assistance and support effort lead by the Pakistani Government to bring aid to victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the region Oct. 8, 2005. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Kim Bennett

Vietnam unit's veterans gather in Calloway for ‘homecoming
'Murray Ledger & Times Sat, 15 Oct 2005 5:02 PM PDT
NEW CONCORD, Ky. - Vietnam veterans aren't the negative stereotype that they have been portrayed to be by some. They're patriotic, honorable Americans who love their country and would do whatever is needed to keep it free.

Soldier-father in Iraq to salve his troubled heart
Arizona Daily Star Sun, 16 Oct 2005 0:17 AM PDT
HUSSEINIYA, Iraq - Rifle ready, Cpl. Joe Johnson nimbly stepped around mounds of trash and pools of raw sewage, handing out strawberry Twizzlers to scabby, barefoot children.
(This is a really interesting article. This couple's son was a good friend of Casey Sheehan. Their son Justin was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Dad joined the National Guard and went to Iraq. Mom is an activist countering Cindy Sheehan's message. Check it out)

Soaring with 'Thunderbirds'
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- A C-130 Hercules leads Air Force Thunderbirds during a flyover of downtown Little Rock, Ark. The Thunderbirds were the main attraction for the base's 50th Anniversary Air Show on Oct. 7. The show brought crowds of more than 150,000 people to the base. Other performers included Team Aeroshell, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron and Shockwave the Jet Truck. (U.S. Air Force photo

Meanwhile, there’s also good news from the United States for people following the events I’ve chronicled in Iraq. Many people read about the travails of a little Iraqi girl named Rhma whose heart condition brought her to the attention of Deuce Four soldiers in May during a sweep in downtown Mosul. As I reported in a previous dispatch, Rhma finally made it to America for medical treatment.

Read the rest at Michael Yon's Online Magazine

Soldiers from the 720th Military Police Battalion, 151st Field Artillery Regiment, encounter insurgents at al-Madain near Baghdad. Photo by Spc. Gul Alisan.

Received via email:

America: Your thoughts requested for a special book involving Patriotism & Baseball

It need not matter if you were a baseball fan or not. For what transpired on the afternoon of April 25, 1976 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium was a moment that united Americans throughout the country.

At a time when the United States of America was celebrating its bicentennial, two protestors jumped onto the field and attempted to use the Dodger Stadium outfield as a political stage in which to burn the American flag.

With a lighter fluid and matches in hand, the protestors unfurled the flag and lit a match. The wind blew out the first match. As they tried to strike a second match, Rick Monday, then the centerfielder for the visiting Chicago Cubs, raced from his position, grabbed the flag and continued sprinting to the infield where he handed it over to Dodger pitcher Doug Rau.

This moment and the symbol it represented – freedom, history and those who have lost their lives in battle to save Old Glory – had countless Americans talking; from politicians in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country to military veterans to everyday people.

It was ranked as one of the top 100 classic moments in baseball history by the National Baseball Hall of Fame committee and third on Sporting News’ list as the most ‘unusual’ moment to occur on a major league baseball field.

To commemorate the upcoming 30th anniversary of this event, it’s your turn to express what that moment meant to you as a citizen of the United States of America.

Were you at this game in Los Angeles? Were you, your children or friends in the military - or a veteran of the armed forces - when this occurred? If you were a new citizen of the United States, or visiting America at the time, what message did this moment send to you? Or, were you then - and remain - an everyday American who bleeds red, white and blue?

A special book is being written about this moment and the impact it had on American society in a more innocent time. This is not a book about baseball, though America’s pastime, obviously, plays an iatrical part in the setting.

As an American, your thoughts are needed for this book. What went through your mind when you heard or saw this flag-burning incident? Did it change your life or your view about the United States? Did it have a special effect, or trigger a special event, for someone you know? Regardless of the scenario, your comments are welcomed.

Feel free to share your thoughts in 500 words or less, and photos (if you were at the game or you are a veteran), and send them to mvpsportscorp@aol-DOT-com or MVPSPORTS, 505 Beachland Blvd., Ste. 1-220, Vero Beach, FL 32963. Please include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.

By sharing your thoughts and photos (sorry, items can not be returned), you give the writer permission to print your name and material. All entries are subject to edit.

REFERENDUM — An Iraqi man casts his vote on the constitutional referendum at a polling station in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2005. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S.: 70 Insurgents Killed in Airstrikes
Iraq Charter Likely to Pass Referendum
Approval of Constitution Likely
Fast Facts: Initial Vote Results
Bush Pleased With Iraq Vote
Video: Iraq Referendum Mostly Peaceful
Photo Essay: Iraq's Constitutional Referendum
Iraq voters seen approving constitution
6 U.S. troops killed in Iraq
Sunnis vote on constitution to no avail

Hurricane Season
Tropical Storm Warning Issued for Cayman Islands
Fats Domino returns home to New Orleans
New Orleans' Bourbon St. still beckons
Wilma becomes season's 21st named storm

Pakistan Earthquake
Kashmir Quake Death Toll Hits 54,000; Aid Chopper Crashes
Weather turning in Pakistan quake rescuers' favor
Pakistan Predicts Sharp Jump in Quake Toll
Pakistan's Quake Relief Flights Resume

News from My Neck of the Woods
U.S. Northeast dries out, hit by new power outages

Sports News
NFL Scores
College Football Scores
MLB Playoffs
NBA News
NHL Scores
Auto Racing

Fox News
Wife of TV Legal Analyst Daniel Horowitz Murdered
School Bus Crash Kills Five
Chinese Astronauts Return
Miller Reveals CIA Leak Notes
Neo-Nazi March Causes Riots
DeLay Raises Record Sums
Bird Flu Outbreak in Romania
Principal Cancels Prom, Says He Won't Sponsor 'an Orgy'
Three Israelis Killed in Attack

Reuters: Top News
US, Britain, Iran trade charges over attacks
Quake of 4.9 magnitude strikes Southern California
Cheney aide a key focus in CIA leak probe-lawyers
Rice says not interested in a 2008 White House run
China hails success of second manned space mission

AP World News
Gunmen Kill Three Israelis in West Bank
Israel Suspends Contacts With Palestinians
Japanese PM Visits Tokyo War Shrine
Malawi Drought Highlights Food Shortage
Suspected Insurgents Kill 11 in Thailand
Russians Seek Release of Relatives' Bodies
Egypt Orders Release of 5 Group Members
Report: Japan, U.S. OK Base Relocations

The Seattle Times
House GOP to push for $50 billion in cuts
New research findings could be step in defusing stem-cell controversy
Rice defends, praises Supreme Court nominee
Libby testimony may conflict, lawyer says
Mining companies still paying 19th century prices for public lands
What meat's a treat? In Korea, it's Spam

Military.com
Rumsfeld Heads to China
Internet Helps Air Force Fight Weight
Navy Wins Another Thriller
Retired Pay COLA Increases

CENTCOM: News Releases
SOUTH BAGHDAD RESIDENTS EXERCISE RIGHT TO VOTE
10TH MOUNTAIN SOLDIERS ASSIST IRAQI FORCES AT POLLS
ASSISTANT TO SENIOR AL QAEDA LEADER IN IRAQ APPREHENDED

Department of Defense
Iraqis Win, No Matter Referendum Results — Story Special
Rice Explains How Iraq Fits in Terror War
U.S. Still on Offensive after Referendum – Story Special
Millions of Iraqis Cast Constitution Ballots — Story Special
Bush: Iraqi Voting Strikes Blow for Freedom — Story Radio Address

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Hurricane Coverage
Iraq Transition of Power

IRAQ
Ramadi Raids Kill 12 Terrorists
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
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
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
1492 - Columbus sights the isle of San Salvador (Watling Island, Bahamas).
1691 - A new royal charter for Massachusetts includes Maine and Plymouth.
1777 - British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, NY.
1781 - Cornwallis is defeated at Yorktown.
1829 - The Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay Canal are formally opened.
1855 - The Bessemer steelmaking process is patented.
1871 - President Grant suspends the writ of habeas corpus.
1894 - The Ohio National Guard kills 3 lynchers while rescuing a Black man.
1918 - Yugoslavia proclaims itself a republic.
1919 - The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is created.
1931 - Al Capone is convicted of tax evasion, and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in the U.S., a refugee from Nazi Germany.
1941 - The USS Kearney, a destroyer, is torpedoed and damaged off Iceland.
1945 - Juan Peron becomes dictator of Argentina.
1956 - England's first large scale nuclear power station opens.
1957 - Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visit the White House.
1961 - NASA civilian pilot Joseph A. Walker takes the X-15 to 33,100 m.
1967 - Pilot Pete Knight reaches 85 km in the X-15.
1969 - Soyuz-7 returns to Earth.
1973 - Arab states begin a 5-mo oil embargo against the U.S. and the Netherlands.
1975 - The first Space Shuttle main engine test takes place at National Space Tech Labs, MS.
1977 - West German commandos storm a hijacked Lufthansa jet in Mogadishu, Somalia freeing all 86 hostages and killing 3 of the 4 hijackers.
1978 - President Carter signs a bill restoring citizenship to Jefferson Davis.
1979 - Mother Teresa of India is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1986 - U.S. Senate approved an immigration bill prohibiting the hiring of illegal aliens and offered amnesty to illegals who entered the country prior to 1982.
1988 - Lyndon LaRouche pleads innocent to fraud and conspiracy.
1989 - An earthquake in San Francisco (6.9) forces cancellation of the third game of the 86th World Series, and kills 67.

Birthdays
1817 - Samuel Ringgold Ward, minister/abolitionist/author
1835 - Alexandrine-Pieternella-Françoise Tinn‚ explorer of the White Nile
1848 - William "Candy" Cummings, creater of the curve ball
1859 - William "Buck" Ewing, hall of fame catcher (NY Giants, Cin Reds)
1912 - John Paul I, 263rd Roman Catholic pope (1978)
1915 - Arthur Miller, playwright (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible)
1926 - Karl G. Henize, astronaut (STS 51F)
1930 - Jimmy Breslin, columnist (NY Post, News, Newsday)
1933 - William A. Anders, Major General, USAF/astronaut (Apollo 8)
1956 - Mae C. Jemison, M.D./astronaut (Sked:STS 47)

Passings
1806 - Jean Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti
1887 - Gustav Kirchoff, discoverer of the laws of spectroscopy
1910 - Julia Ward Howe, composer (Battle Hymn of the Republic
1990 - Ralph Abernathy, civil rights leader
1991 - Tennessee Ernie Ford, country singer (16 Tons)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Gaither, Ralph E., USN (FL); F4B shot down (pilot, w/Knutson), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Halyburton, Porter A., USN (NC); F4B shot down (w/Olmstead), released by DRV February 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Knutson, Rodney A., USN (MT); F4B shot down (w/Gaither); released by DRV February, 1973 alive and well as of 1998

Mayer, Roderick L., USN (ID); F4B shot down (pilot, w/Wheat); likely KIA in ejection

Olmstead, Stanley E., USN (OK); F4B shot down (pilot, w/Halyburton); likely KIA in crash

Wheat, David R., USN (MN); F4B shot down (RIO, w/Mayer); released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Andrews, Anthony C., USAF (CA); F105 shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - left service after return to work for major U.S. airline - alive as of 1998

Cadwell, Anthony B., US Army (MT); drowned, body not recovered

Fitzgerald, Paul L., Jr., US Army (GA); disappeared after fighting while on search and destroy mission

Fortner, Frederick J., USNR (CA); A4E crashed during mission (pilot), remains returned March, 1989

Hargrove, Olin, Jr., US Army (AL); disappeared after fighting while on search and destroy mission

Odell, Donald E., USAF (MI); F105D shot down (w/Sullivan); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Sullivan, Dwight E., USAF (IA); F105D shot down (w/Odell); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1968
Mason, James P., US Army (IL); passenger in OH6A that crashed, Killed, body not recovered

1972
Wangchom, Nophadon, (Thailand?); released September, 1974

Graham, Alan U., USAF (AL); F111A shot down (w/Hockridge); remains returned by SRV September, 1977

Hockridge, James A., USAF (NY); F111A shot down (w/Graham); remains returned by SRV September, 1977