Dear Soldiers' Angels,

I really appreciate the boxes of backpacks that you sent for our soldiers in the ward. They (patients/troopers) were very happy to know that there are people that really care about their welfare. The smiles that were on their faces were priceless. As the 1SG of this Troop Medical Clinic (TMC), I really appreciate this from the bottom of my hearts. You have a first class organization when it comes to taking care of troops. Thanks in advance for everything. I would also like to wish you and your staff a Happy Holidays. Attached is a picture of my soldiers that are running the clinic.

Take care and God Bless,
1SG Jimmie C----, Jr.

Quote of the Day
We Few
Beloved heritage is ours
To fondly cherish evermore.
By God's own hand sweet Freedom's flower
Was planted at our nation's door.

Warm blood of men enriched the soil
In hope it blossom-filled would thrive.
Though tyrants sent fierce weeds to foil
And hamper growth, it still survived.

The blooms will wither not nor die;
Some men will crave the fragrant air.
Unyielding Resolve reigns on high
With Duty calling those who care.

Much-needed care cannot be sloughed;
A few must bear the load for all.
From sun-soaked shores to windswept bluffs
We few will answer Duty's call.

-- Former POW Colonel Howard John Hill, USAF

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi Election Peaceful,Turnout Huge
Iraq Vote Count Begins
After vote, Iraqis hope bloodshed will end Video
Iraqi voter turnout higher than many U.S. elections
Amid voting, US troops give thumbs up
GOP Leaders Draft Bill Rejecting Iraq Pullout
Iraq Mistakenly Freed al-Zarqawi Last Year

Operation Enduring Freedom
First Afghan parliament in decades to meet Monday Video
Soldier killed in Afghanistan firefight; prisoners released
Drugs Called No. 1 Threat in Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Patriot Act Showdown
Bush, McCain Reach Deal on Cruel Treatment Ban
Video: Bush Changes Mind
France seizes arms from suspected militants
Fatah activists split from the party
Purported al-Qaida Video Outlines Attack

Oddities
Danger! Scrambled eggs ahead!
Sorry, I'd like to kiss you, but...
He'll pay for this: Tree theft foiled by checkbook

Other News of Note
Reservoir wall was made of "fill"
Santa pardons Texas teacher for 1st-grade message

Fox News
450,000 Without Power
Photo Essay: Big Chill
Video: Wicked Weather
NYC Transit Talks Break Down; Partial Strike Tonight
Russian Nuclear Plant Explosion Injures Three
U.N. Extends Hariri Probe
License to Eavesdrop
11M in U.S. Illiterate in English
Midway Plane Needed 800 More Feet of Runway
Today's Stocks to Watch
Ill. Supreme Court Tosses $10.1B Suit vs. Philip Morris
SPORTS NEWS AND SCORES

Reuters: Top News
U.S. critic could win Bolivia vote
GM to see improved revenue in 2006: CEO
Visto sues Microsoft for patent infringement
WTO protesters hit US, Korean consulates in HK Video
Hamas extends gains in Palestinian local election Video
Japan resumes US beef imports after 2-year break
S.Korea fails to lead North back to nuclear talks
US upbeat on export subsidy cut-off deal
US military services said working together better
Alaskan volcano releases steam, sulfur gas
Global warming will force Santa into waterwings: WWF
Sony's robot attains enlightenment with third eye
Microsoft files 10 lawsuits over software pirating
Whirling dervishes reel in tourists in Turkey
Burkina cotton growers not reaping what they sow
Study says pivotal hormone therapy trial was flawed
One embryo works as well as two for IVF: studies
Hatcher wins sex claims libel case

AP World News
Iran Official Recasts Holocaust Comments
Fire at China Hospital Kills at Least 39
Indian Parliament Vacated Following Threat
Hamas Wins Key Elections in West Bank
Divided Koreas Seek Quick Nuke Agreement
Judge Halts Trial of Turkish Novelist
Bush's Dad Named Envoy for Quake Victims
Probe of Ex-Lebanon PM's Death Extended
First Shipment of U.S. Beef Reaches Japan
U.S., Colombian Navies Seach for Chopper
Scientists Figure Out Why Mona Lisa Smiles
Hospital Fire Kills at Least 38 in China
EU Grows Impatient With Iran Over Nukes
Uzbek Official Accused of Torture

The Seattle Times
Congress didn't see intelligence, report says
Stem-cell advances faked, say scientists
Higher levels of lead in soil throughout New Orleans
Hurricanes prompt bending of rules along Gulf Coast
Democrats fault Bush remarks on DeLay case
First civil union ends on an uncivil note
Breast-cancer study finds that radiation saves lives
2005 nearly in dead heat with '98 record warmth
North Korea shuns food-aid program
Western peacekeepers expelled from Eritrea
Iran leader at forefront of militant Islam
"Mona Lisa" smile is no mystery, scientists discover — she's happy

Chicago Sun-Times
Flight was doomed at touchdown
Ex-Sun-Times boss charged with racketeering
U. of C. team finds proof of ancient 'shock and awe'
Mom who dumped newborn gets 5 years
Right now, 1.5 million are dialing and driving
House OKs bill to shore up pensions
'I didn't think, I just reacted'
Lawsuit: California shouldn't grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants
Lawmakers give cops new powers to fight anti-Arab riots in Australia
Farm living is the life for lottery winner

Boston Globe: World
EU official issues warning on Turkey's prosecution of author
Taboo-breaking novel stirs passion, debate in Saudi Arabia
UN prosecutor criticizes inaction on war crime suspects
Rebuilding effort in Cancun moving slower than expected
EU assails Russian missile sale to Iran
Mexico's presidential race marked by mudslinging
Iranian president's Holocaust dismissal sparks German outcry
For one Sunni family, casting ballots was an act of resistance
European parliament votes to probe alleged CIA prisons
Abduction case twist surprises Germany

Military.com
Companies Help Soldiers' Spouses Find Jobs
Ballot Shortage Keeps Some From Polls
F-22A Raptor Ready for Combat
BAH Rules Change Dec. 31
DOD Program to Recruit Language Speakers

CENTCOM: News Releases
U.S. SEABEES TURNOVER OPERATIONS
IRAQI AND COALITION FORCES HELP PAVE THE WAY FOR VOTERS IN AL ANBAR
U.S. MILITARY RELEASES DOZENS OF AFGHAN DETAINEES FROM BAGRAM
HISTORY IN THE MAKING, EARLY MORNING BRINGS IRAQI VOTERS
IRAQI, U.S. FORCES SECURITY TIGHT AS POLLS OPEN
IRAQI, U.S. FORCES PREAPARE SECURITY AT POLLING SITES

Department of Defense
U.S. Troops Embody American Spirit - Story
Iraqi-American Says 'New Day for Iraq' - Story
Sunni Turnout Substantial in Iraq Voting
Election Day in Sadr City Goes Smoothly
Iraqis Hold Peaceful Election Day in Baghdad
Security Provides Confidence at Polls
Iraqi Voters Flock to Polls Amid Tight Security
Review Ordered for Intel-Gathering System - Story

ON THE GROUND
Forces Prepare Security at Polling Sites - Story

IN IRAQ
Georgia Guard Troops Adjust to New Mission
Firing Range Open for Iraqi Soldiers

FACE OF DEFENSE
Texan Glad to be in Iraq Training Soldiers - Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Company Steps Up for Employees - Story
Californians Provide Holiday Spirit
New Yorkers Send Trees to Troops

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Ramadi Bomb Blast Kills Marine
Bush Calls Iraqi Elections Historic
Leaving Sends Wrong Message
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Ship Awarded Combat Ribbon
Deterrence Still Viable
Soldiers Nab 43 Suspects
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Chairman Gives Holiday Message
Human Rights Expert to Visit Gitmo
Troops Receive Honors at Dinner
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify 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
0882 - John VIII ends his reign as Catholic Pope; Marinus I begins his
1431 - King Henry VI of England crowned king of France
1538 - King François I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1577 - Danzig surrenders to troops of Polish king István Báthory
1617 - Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Río de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1631 - Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages & kills 4,000
1653 - Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland & Ireland
1659 - General Monck demands free parliamentary election in Scotland
1689 - English Parliament adopts Bill of Rights after Glorious Revolution
1740 - Prussian Libya falls to Silezie
1761 - Russian army occupies Kolberg
1773 - Boston Tea Party
1809 - Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by the French Senate
1811 - Most violent & prolonged quakes in US begins in Midwest region; 8.0 earthquake shakes New Madrid MO
1817 - Leaders of Molukkas uprising hanged in Ambon
1824 - Great North Holland Canal opens
1835 - Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York NY
1838 - Boers beat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
1857 - Earthquake in Naples, Italy
1858 - Dutch government decides to vacate Schokland Island
1862 - Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
1864 - Battle of Nashville ends after 4400 casualities
1880 - Republic of South-Africa forms
1884 - Great Britain recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free State
1897 - 1st submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated
1900 - Boer army under General Kritzinger take Cape colony
1905 - "Variety", covering all phases of show business, 1st published
1907 - Great White Fleet sails from Hampton Downs on its World Cruise
1909 - US pressure forces Nicaraguan President José Santos Zelaya from office
1912 - 1st US postage stamp picturing an airplane, 20¢ parcel post, issued; Austria-Hungary engage in conflict with Serbia
1913 - Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week
1914 - French offensive in Artois (Pétain)
1915 - Albert Einstein publishes his "General Theory of Relativity"
1920 - Over 180,000 die when 8.6 earthquake destroys 15,000² miles (Kansu China)
1930 - Golfer Bobby Jones wins James E Sullivan Award
1931 - German SPD begins Eiserne Front against fascism
1932 - Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu China, 70,000 killed
1940 - British air raid on Mannheim
1941 - Sarawak occupied by the Japanese
1942 - Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia & Balkan
1943 - "Tamiami Champion" trains collide, kills 73 & injures 200
1944 - Battle of the Bulge begins in Belgium; German V-2 strikes Antwerp bioscope (638 kill); US 2nd Infantry division occupies "Heartbreak Crossroads," Wahlerscheid
1949 - Sukarno becomes President of Indonesia; Mokammed Hatta becomes premier
1950 - Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"
1953 - 1st White House Press Conference (President Eisenhower & 161 reporters); Charles E. Yeager flies over 2,575 kph (1,650 mph) in Bell X-1A (first man to fly at nearly two and one-half times the speed of sound)
1960 - 134 die as United DC-8 & TWA Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, New York NY
1962 - Constitutional Monarchical Hindu State of Nepál adopts new constitution
1965 - Gemini 6 returns to Earth; Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit; Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, becomes King of Tonga
1969 - British House of Commons votes 343-185 abolishing the death penalty
1970 - 1st successful landing on Venus (USSR)
1971 - Bangladesh (East Pakistan) declares independence from Pakistan
1973 - US kidnap victim Paul Getty III freed
1976 - Government halts swine flu vaccination program following reports of paralysis; Andrew Young named Ambassador & Chief US Delegate to UN; Liberian tanker stranded at Nantucket, 180,000 barrels oil in sea
1978 - Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of China People's Republic
1980 - President-elect Reagan announces Alexander Haig as Secretary of State
1981 - Dutch Van Agt's 2nd government falls
1983 - Riverside CA judge denies cerebral palsy victim Elizabeth Bouviato request to starve herself to death in a county hospital
1988 - Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud
1990 - Reverend Jean-Betrand Aristide elected President of Haiti
1991 - UN reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25 (13 abstain) vote
1992 - Israel orders deportation of 415 Palestinians after escalating terrorist activity
1997 - President Clinton names his Labrador retriever, "Buddy"

Birthdays
1485 - Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess/1st wife of Henry VIII
1622 - Kurt S. Adeler, Danish admiral/ship builder
1742 - Gebhard Leberecht Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt, German fieldmarshal
1809 - Peter P. van Bosse, Dutch attorney/liberal minister of Finance
1812 - William Grose, Union Brevet Major General
1819 - Robert Selden Garnett, Confederate Brigadier-General
1825 - Henry Heth, Confederate Major General
1828 - John Beatty, Union Brigadier-General
1830 - John Frederick Hartranft, Union Brevet Major General
1851 - Theodoor H. de Meester, Dutch premier (1905-08)
1857 - Edward Emerson, astronomer (Jupiter's 5th satellite)
1863 - Ralph Adams Cram, US gothic architect (Cathedral of St John the Divine NYC)
1888 - Alphonse Juin, French marshal
1906 - John Morrison, politician/landowner; Lord Margadale, English Conservative parliament leader/large landowner
1907 - Ray C. Bliss, Ohio State Republican Chairman
1909 - Henricus Verbunt, civil servant/resistance fighter
1941 - Lesley Stahl, White House correspondent (CBS-TV)
1955 - Carol M. Browner, US Administrator (EPA)

Passings
0714 - Pippin II of Héristal, Duke/prince of France
0875 - Ado of Vienne, French archbishop of Vienne, dies at about 75
0882 - John VIII, Italian Pope (872-82), dies
0999 - Adelheid the Saint, German empress of Otto I/saint, dies at about 68
1404 - Albrecht of Bavaria, duke of Bavaria, dies at about 74
1670 - Dorothy, 1st English marquis of Halifax, dies
1672 - John II Casimir Vasa, cardinal/king of Poland (1648-68), dies at 63
1774 - François Quesnay, French personal physician of Louis XIV, dies at 80
1858 - Richard Bright, British Dr. (Bright's disease/nephritis), dies at 69
1859 - Wilhelm Grimm, writer (Grimm's Fairy Tales), dies at 73
1916 - Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, powerful Russian monk, murdered at 45
1920 - Ma Mua-Ming-Hsin the Benovelent, Chinese muslim rebel (holy war)
1922 - Gabriel Narutowicz, 1st President of Poland (December 7-16, 1922), assassinated
1944 - Glenn Miller, USAF veteran, jazz composer/orchestra leader (Danny boy), dies at 40 when his plane disappears on the way to entertain US troops
1945 - Fumimaro Konu Japanese prince/PM (1937-39, 40-41), commits harakiri
1949 - Traitsjo Kostov Bulgarian communist vice-premier, executed
1980 - Harland "Colonel" Sanders, founder Kentucky Fried Chicken, dies at 90
1983 - Kusan Sunim, founded Milae Sa temple/Bulsung Sa Zen in Korea, dies at 74
1985 - Paul Castellano, Organized-crime chief, shot dead at a New York, NY restaurant
1987 - Albert P. Morano (Representative-CT, 1951-59), dies at 79
1993 - Bentri Seddik, Algerian court judge, murdered at 46; Kakuei Tanaka premier of Japan (1972-74), dies at 75; Ratu Penaia Ganilau President of Fiji (1987-93), dies at 75
1996 - Jean-Pierre Levy, resistance leader, dies at 85

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Wickhamm, David W. II, USN (WV);A4C shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1967
Hill, Howard J., USAF (IL); F4D shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as of 1998

Low, James Frederick, USAF (CA); F4D shot down, released August, 1968

1969
Buckley, Victor P., USN (VA); RF8G shot down, KIA, body not recovered