Barry Stuard, an engineer with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Multinational Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Diwaniyah, Iraq, measures a window at the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks in Diwaniyah, Iraq, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Iraqi workers prepare mortar that will be used in building the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks in Diwaniyah, Iraq, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Iraqi workers lift mortar to the roof of the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks in Diwaniyah, Iraq, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


An Iraqi worker prepares a frame to hold ceiling tiles during an inspection of the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Diwaniyah, Iraq, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Iraqi workers dismount from a scaffolding during an inspection by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks in Diwaniyah, Iraq, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Barry Stuard, an engineer with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Multinational Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Diwaniyah, Iraq, removes substandard bricks from the roof of the new 8th Iraqi Army Division barracks during an inspection in Diwaniyah, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Barry Stuard, left, and Alsace Dyer, both engineers with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Multinational Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Diwaniyah, Iraq, inspect Mahnwiyah Substation, an electrical station, for warrantee issues and inform the station manager that new equipment is on its way March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey


Alsace Dyer, far right, an engineer with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Multinational Division - Central South, Camp Echo, Diwaniyah, Iraq, shakes hands with local Iraqis after inspecting the Salahiyah Road construction site in Diwaniyah, March 27, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jason T. Bailey

SECURITY IN BAGHDAD — An Iraqi army soldier provides security March 28, 2006, at the site of an unexplained explosion that collapsed a building in Baghdad, Iraq, the night before. At least five civilians were killed and many more wounded. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bart A. Bauer

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Carroll: Kidnappers Forced Statements
Fast Facts: Jill Carroll's Statement
U.S. Chopper Crashes in Iraq
Fate of U.S. Copter Crew in Iraq Unknown
Iraq Shi'ites break ranks, urge PM to quit - Video
Japan Iraq withdrawal may be delayed: minister

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Rice Looks Forward to Guantanamo Bay Closure- Video: Rice Defends Comments
Americans in Indonesia Warned of Terror Attack

Immigration
Immigrants protest in New York City
Stories: Minutemen Begin Border Engagement
School Bans Flag Waving (This is unbelievable.)
Immigrants rally for rights in marches

Hamas Rising
Fatah gunmen fire guns, defying Hamas PM - Video

Worldwide Wackos
Iran terror response seen to US strike: Wash Post

Homegrown Moonbats
"Hair" the musical returns with hints of Iraq war

Politics
Rice follows Gandhi to "the center of the world"
Rice meets Muslim leaders - Video

Oddities
US company claims to make stem cells from testes

Other News of Note
Storms Kill One in North Dakota, Cause Tornadoes
Don't Forget: Spring Forward

Fox News
Cinderella Run Over (George Mason goes down)
Black Leaders Rally Against Post-Katrina Election Plans
Duke Students Near Lacrosse House Warned of Violence- Transcript: Letter to Students
Capsized Bahrain Boat Wasn't Licensed for Cruises
19 Dead in Brazil Plane Crash
FULL SPORTS COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
Bill Cosby tells New Orleans blacks to reject crime
Crew arrive at space station
Bermuda bans smoking in bars and restaurants
Microsoft claims EU breakthrough, rivals sceptical
Sony goes prime-time with "LocationFree TV"
Decision looms on GMAC stake sale
Radio in talks to settle FCC payola probe: sources
Google prices offering of 5.3 mln shares at $389.75
Citigroup leads underwriters in healthy 1st qtr
Court upholds Vioxx class action against Merck
Radio in talks to settle FCC payola probe--sources
Jobs report key to keeping rally alive
Stocks end lower on day, but higher for quarter - Video
Gains seen for energy stocks after bumpy '06 start
Hansen, Anheuser in partnership, deal talks: report
Dow, Lyondell dip after Prudential downgrade

AP World News
Katherine Harris Campaign Loses Core Staff
Post-Katrina Dialogue on Poverty Fizzles
De Villepin Admits Errors in Handling Law
Depression Hits Some Preachers' Wives
Activists Lament Porn's Move to Mainstream
Moviegoers Get Taste of 'Simpsons' Film
UCLA Routs LSU, Will Face Florida in Final
Record Label at Stake in Knight's No-Show
Floods Spark Evacuations in Central Europe
April Fool's Day a Serious Joke in Europe

Military.com
Freed Reporter Lands in Germany

CENTCOM: News Releases
IA SGT. MAJ. KILLED WHILE STOPPING THIEVES; CACHES FOUND

ATTACK KILLS BOMBER, SLIGHTLY INJURES AFGHAN SOLDIER

COALITION CAPTURES THREE SUSPECTED TERRORISTS

HELICOPTER CRASHES SOUTHWEST OF BAGHDAD

Department of Defense
Helicopter Goes Down Near Baghdad - Story
Attack Kills Bomber, Slightly Injures Afghan Soldier

ON THE GROUND - IN AFGHANISTAN
Troops Celebrate Women’s History Month

FACE OF DEFENSE
Sailor Proud to Have Served in Iraq - Story

DefendAmerica Week in Review
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
'Operation Cowpens' Continues
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (PDF)
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base
National Guard, Reserve Update

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

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
0999 - Gerbert of Aurillac elected as 1st French Pope
1416 - Alfonso V succeeds his father as king of Aragón
1513 - Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain
1550 - Jews are expelled from Genoa, Italy
1559 - England/France sign 1st Treaty of Le Cateau-Cambrésis
1590 - States-General appoints earl Mauritius, viceroy of Utrecht
1595 - Cornelis de Houtman's ships depart to Asia through Cape of Good Hope
1645 - Robert Devereux resigns as parliament supreme commander
1745 - Austria & Bavaria sign peace
1792 - Congress establishes Philadelphia mint; US authorizes $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & $2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins & silver dollar, ½ dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime
1827 - Joseph Dixon begins manufacturing lead pencils
1845 - H. L. Fizeau & J. Leon Foucault take 1st photo of Sun
1860 - 1st Italian Parliament met at Turin
1863 - Bread revolt in Richmond, VA
1864 - Skirmish at Crump's Hill (Piney Woods), Louisiana; Skirmish at Spoonville/Antoine, AR
1865 - CSA President Jefferson Davis flees Confederate capital of Richmond, VA; General A P Hill is killed by a Federal picket; Lee's line is broken at Petersberg; Battle of Fort Blakely AL & Selma, AL; Battle of Petersburg, VA (Fort Gregg, Sutherland's Station)
1866 - President Andrew Johnson ends war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia
1870 - Victoria Woodhull is 1st woman to be nominated for US President
1872 - George B. Brayton patents gasoline powered engine
1877 - 1st Easter egg roll held on White House lawn
1883 - Battle at Bamako - French assault on Fabous
1884 - London prison for debtors closed
1902 - 1st motion picture theater opens (Los Angeles CA)
1905 - Cairo-Capetown railway opens
1908 - Mills Committee declares baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday
1912 - Titanic undergoes sea trials under its own power; Sun Yet Sen forms Guomindang-Party in China
1916 - German troops overtake Bois de Caillette
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war against Germany; Jeannette Rankin becomes 1st woman member of US House of Representatives
1921 - Professor Albert Einstein lectures in NYC on his new theory of relativity
1926 - Riots between Muslims & Hindus in Calcutta
1930 - 1st New York-Bermuda airplane flight lands in Bermuda
1931 - Teenage girl strikes out Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in Chattanooga, TN
1932 - Charles Lindbergh turns over $50,000 as ransom for kidnapped son
1935 - Sir Watson-Watt patents RADAR
1941 - German occupier disallows Dutch scouting association; USS Hornet with Jimmy Doolittle's B-25 departs from San Francisco
1944 - CPI-leader Palmiro Togliatti returns to Italy; Soviet Army marches into pro-German Romania
1945 - 1st US units reach east coast of Okinawa
1953 - Raab forms his 1st government in Austria
1954 - Plans to build Disneyland 1st announced
1958 - National Advisory Council on Aeronautics renamed NASA; Wind speed reaches 450 kph in tornado in Wichita Falls, TX (record); Antillean Brewery (Amstel beer) opens
1960 - Cuba buys oil from USSR
1963 - Explorer 17 attains Earth orbit (254/914 km); USSR launches Luna 4; missed Moon by 8,500 km
1964 - USSR launches Zond 1 to Venus; no data returned; Military coup in Brazil by General Castello Branco, President Goulart ousted
1966 Soviet Union's Luna 10 becomes 1st spacecraft to orbit Moon
1968 - Chad creates Union of Central African States
1970 - Meghalaya becomes autonomous state within India's Assam state; Qatar gains independence from Britain
1972 - Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits Cairo, Egypt
1973 - CBS radio begins on hour news 24 hours a day; ITT pleads guilty to asking CIA to affect Chilean presidential election
1974 - Arganat Committee publishes report concerning Yom Kippur War
1976 - Cambodia's Khieu Sampan succeeds prince Sihanouk as premier; Portuguese constitution assumed
1978 - TV show "Dallas" premieres on CBS (as a 5 week mini-series); Velcro was 1st put on the market
1979 - Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits Cairo Egypt/meets President Sadat
1981 - Belgium's 4th government of Martens resigns; Heavy battle between Christian militia & Syrian army in East Lebanon
1982 - Several thousand Argentine troops seize disputed Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
1986 - 4 US passengers killed by bomb at TWA counter Athens Airport Greece
1987 - IBM introduces PS/2 & OS/2
1992 - John Gotti found guilty in death of Paul Castallanos; Space Shuttle STS-45 (Atlantis 11) lands; Edith Cresson, France's 1st female premier, resigns
1993 - 1st test flight of Fokker 70 (Amsterdam); Venezuelan DC-10 crashes at Margarita, killing 10

Birthdays
0742 - Charlemagne, 1st Holy Roman emperor (800-14)
1618 - Francesco M. Grimaldi, mathematician/physicist (light defraction)
1805 - Hans Christian Andersen, author of 150 fairy tales
1806 - Giacomo Antonelli, Italian cardinal/Assistant Secretary of State for Pius IX
1814 - Henry Lewis "Old Rock" Benning,Confederate Brigadier General
1826 - Philip Dale Roddey, Confederate Brigadier General
1833 - Thomas Howard Ruger, Union Brevet Major General
1862 - Nicholas Murray Butler, Columbia University president/pacifist (Nobel 1931)
1894 - Rudolph P. Cleveringa, Dutch anti-nazi lawyer; Walter Mittelholzer, Swiss aviation pioneer (Swiss Air)
1922 - Nikolaj G. Bassov, Russian atomic physicist (laser, Nobel 1964)
1929 - Frans H.J.J. Andriessen, Dutch MP (KVP/CDA)
1934 - Christopher France, British permanent secretary (Department of Health); Sir Peter Middleton British permanent secretary (Treasury)
1937 - Paul E. Kanjorski (Representative-PA)
1939 - Marvin P. Gaye, Jr., singer (Sexual Healing)
1942 - Graham Bright, private secretary to British PM
1948 - Joan [Carol] D[ennison] Vinge, sci-fi author (2 Hugos, Dune)

Passings
1118 - Boudouin I of Bologne/Edessa, 1st crusader/king of Jerusalem
1416 - Ferdinand I the Justified, king of Aragon/Sicily, dies at 52
1502 - Arthur English, crown prince/husband of Catharina of Aragón
1657 - Ferdinand III, King of Hungarian/Bohemia/German Emperor, dies at 48
1831 - Charles Felix, blind King of Sardina (1821-31), dies at 74
1865 - Ambrose Powell (A.P.) Hill, Confederate General, killed in action at 39
1872 - Samuel F. B. Morse, developer of electric telegraph, dies at 80
1910 - Boyd Alexander, English explorer (Niger to the Nile), murdered at 37
1928 - Theodore Richards, US chemist (atomic weight, Nobel 1914)
1941 - Paul Teleki premier of Hungary
1956 - Albert de Bassompierre, Belgiuman ambassador to Tokyo, dies at 82
1974 - Georges Pompidou, French President, dies in Paris at 62
1995 - Hannes Alfven, physicist (Nobel prize), dies at 86
1997 - Tomoyuki Tanaka, producer (Godzilla), dies of a stroke at 86

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Evans, James J., USN (KS); A1H shot down - remains recovered October, 1971 - ID'd April, 1977

1966
Doughty, Daniel J., USAF (WI); RF101 shot down - released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Dramesi, John A., USAF (NJ); released by DRV March, 1973 - After release, became chief war planner for US Air Forces in Europe, later commanded a Strategic Air Command F-111 wing - retired as a Colonel - alive as of 1999

1969
Powers, Lowell S., US Army (AZ); CH47 forced to land due to mechanical problems, subsequently exploded, presumed Killed, body not recovered

1972
The following personnel reported MIA after the shoot-down of an EB66 and the subsequent shoot-down of SAR craft:

From the EB66 (USAF):
Bolte, Wayne L., (OK); pilot

Gatwood, Robin F., Jr., (NC); crew

Giannangeli, Anthony R., (PA); crew

Levis, Charles A., (TX); crew

Serex, Henry M., (LA); crew

From a UH1H (US Army):
Astorga, Jose M., (CAZ); gunner - left crash site, was captured - subsequently observed the helicopter explode with the others inside - released by PRG (injured) March, 1973 - alive as of 1996

Frink, John W. (NM); co-pilot - remains returned April, 1994

Kulland, Byron K. (ND); pilot - remains ID'd April, 1994

Paschall, Ronald P. (WA); crew chief - remains ID'd April, 1994