A Canadian army soldier assists an Afghan boy in adjusting his load of supplies received during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Canadian army Cpl. Tracy Vienneau searches women and children before they enter the village medical outreach site in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

An Afghan doctor gives an Afghan girl medicine during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

An Afghan boy piles food and supplies onto a blanket that he received from Canadian army soldiers during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Afghan women and children wait to be examined by Afghan and Canadian doctors during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Canadian army soldiers help an Afghan man with supplies he received during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Afghan men and children wait to receive supplies and be examined by Afghan and Canadian doctors during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

A Canadian army soldier helps an Afghan boy carry a bag of rice during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

An Afghan boy holds a can of powdered milk given to him by a Canadian army soldier during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

An Afghan elder carries his load of supplies received during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

An Afghan boy holds his brother and a can of powdered milk given to him by a Canadian army soldier during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Canadian army Cpl. Peter Munroe talks with Afghan children waiting to receive medical treatment during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Afghan children wait to be examined by Afghan and Canadian doctors during a village medical outreach program in Panjwai Province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jennifer Barba

Some great places to visit in your internet travels this weekend...

Michael Yon:
The Greedy Ones
It came from Poland, a message, via email—zzzppt. They were searching for her, a woman with whom I had recently made friends of the sort one finds while traveling abroad in wild nations. She had disappeared. The investigators had found my contact information in her hotel room...

The Car & Driver Boycott (via BlackFive)
(from Pam: The latest on Shock Magazine's shameful misuse of Michael Yon's photo. If you haven't heard about this yet - this is the one post you want to read this weekend. The campaign to put pressure on the publisher is working - but there is still a great deal to be done. If you have taken action to express your view to the publisher, or to retailers, please let me know!

Full details on how you can help, including sample letters you can use, are here.

------------------------------------------------------

Soldiers' Angels Germany:
Soldiers Angels visit the Chaplains Office
During our visit in Landstuhl I used the opportunity to visit Chaplain Harp...

Many thanks!
As we arrived in Keber yesterday, at first we went to the libery to look for the coffee bar! Here we found only candies, cookies and popcorn. So Amanda went fast to our storage and looked around what goods we received in the last weeks!...

----------------------------------------------------

Blackfive:
Good Thoughts Needed For Jim Baen
Posted By Laughing_Wolf
I found out this morning that Jim Baen, founder of Baen Books, has suffered a stroke and is in ICU. If you log into Baen's Bar through the previous link, there is a new "Waiting Room" forum that has been established for news and for sending thoughts to Jim, his family, and the greater family of authors, readers, and fans...

Marines Like Eric Freeman
Lance Corporal Eric S. Freeman was featured as a Defend America profile in early 2004. He kept a journal of his second tour in Iraq. Eric graduated from high-school at age 16 and completed almost two years of college before joining the Marines. This journal entry recounts the day he and his brother Marines were wounded...

The Warrior Caste Revisited
I have been thinking about the American Warrior Caste for a long time, now. The Warrior Caste is made up of families that serve in the military for generations...

And BlackFive has lots of other great posts, too - plan to stay for a while.

-------------------------------------------------------

ROFASix:
Painful to Watch - Torture to Hear!
NOTR has video of a brutal massacre of our National Anthem

The Story behind “Hadji Girl”
The Marine Corps Corporal who sang the song recorded in the video about killing members of an Iraqi family never expected it to get onto the Internet and become one of the most viewed videos....
------------------------------------------------------

The Thunder Run:
500
VALOUR-IT just shipped its 500th laptop to assist a wounded trooper. Yes, you heard me right, 500 units shipped...

------------------------------------------------------
One Marine's View:
Guilty until proven innocent
Why have I had enough? Because of crap like this joker keeps putting in the paper...

(Related post on IWT: Scraping the Moonbat Barrel)

------------------------------------------------------

Echo9er:
Thursday “Why I Serve”
If it isn’t one thing, it’s another…and usually it’s another. Her enthusiasm is only exceeded by her drive to do a first rate job.

Spc. Nicole Bellows, Headquarters Company, Division Support Command, 1st Cavalry Division, is noted for her multiple roles as a supply specialist, an armorer, mail clerk and for always having a smile on her face...

--------------------------------------------------------
Iraq the Model
Always lots to read here.

C-130 TRANSPORTATION — A group of U.S. soldiers catch a ride on a C-130H2 Hercules transport aircraft headed to Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, June 10, 2006. The 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, transports troops and cargo throughout Afghanistan. It is the only U.S. C-130 squadron in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson

News of Note
Bye-Bye Zarqawi
New tape says Zarqawi death 'great loss' (Yeah, boo-hoo...NOT)

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Explosions Kill 7 in Iraq
Mortar shell hits Baghdad market; 4 killed

Operation Enduring Freedom
Forces Kill 45 Militants
Attack on Taliban continues

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Report: Detainee AbuseWrong, Not Illegal
Pentagon releases two reports
DHS: New York, D.C., Still Not Ready for Disasters

Troops on Trial
Military loosens conditions on Marines in brig

Other Military News
Long-lost World War II sub likely found

Immigration / Border Control
Ranchers add ladders to border fences

Worldwide Wackos
North Korea readies missile launch platform: reports
U.S., Japan Appeal for N. Korea to Not Launch Missile
Fledgling US missile shield largely unproven
Rice says US has heard positive statements from Iran - Video

Politics / Government
Grand Jury Declines to Indict McKinney for Police Scuffle (I wonder if things would have gone the same if a schmuck like you or me had hit a police officer?)
FOX Poll: Bush Approval Up
FOX Poll: Dems Lead in '06
Ohio mayor violates policy he helped write

Oddities
Mother duck makes annual traffic-stopping trip
N.Y. judge issues warrant for Boy George
L.A. waits for Reggie the gator to awaken
Rat study shows dirty better than clean

Other News of Note
Memories fresh for witness of Hitler's last days
Report: Malvo, mentor may have shot others

Fox News
Western Wildfires Continue as Evacuations Ordered
Hundreds Gather for Columbine Memorial
Skaggs' Tour Bus Kills Man
Federal Warrant Issued for Reno Murder Suspect
Texas Teacher Fighting for Job Over Topless Pics
Tiger Misses U.S. Open Cut
U.S. Open Leaderboard
Argentina, Netherlands Advance to Second Round
FULL WORLD CUP COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
Sri Lanka and Tigers claim victory in clash - Video
Gates charity move spotlights giving while living
Japan defeated on whaling, green groups relieved
Microsoft eyes new tech leaders for post-Gates era
South Korea game makers eye global expansion
Booming bushmeat trade threat to Africa wildlife
Lung function abnormal in sickle cell anemia
Brain tumor patients motivated to exercise
Ron Wood in rehab but will tour with Stones
Beyonce readies "B-Day" celebration
Investors ignore warnings in volatile markets
Wall Street keeps eye on stocks, not soccer
Microsoft eyes new tech leaders for post-Gates era
Microsoft developing a rival to Apple's iPod
Boston Scientific shares up on court ruling
Adelphia judge approves break-up fee
Stock bulls hope rebound has legs
Stocks fall as Fed talk stirs rate jitters - Video
Boston Scientific shares up on court ruling
Hemosol shares dive as ProMetic court date set
Mirant says not considering other acquisitions
What's in a name?
On the radar: Iris International
Investors ignore warnings

AP World News
Prosecutors: Idaho man on suicide mission
Faster coasters have reliability issues
Jolie: Birth experience was 'terrifying'
Fualaau gets suspended sentence for DUI
Calif. woman convicted of killing husband
Spears' rep denies Namibia birth report
Wall Street stocks close slightly down
Angola goalie frustrates Mexico in 0-0 tie
Man refutes NYC warehouse fire confession
Obituaries in the news

Military.com
Army Reserve Is Evolving
F-22A Savings Estimates Challenged

CENTCOM: News
U.S. General Speaks to Afghan Cadets
Troops Help Village Beat Heat
NATO Reconfirms Afghanistan Expansion
Red Horse Keeps Planes Landing at Kandahar
Oklahomans Train Iraqi Police in Securing Baghdad

Department of Defense
Iraqi Police Improve Map Skills - Story

ON THE GROUND
U.S. Army MPs Mentor Afghan National Police - Story
Logistics Team Supports 'First Strike' Troops - Story
Soldiers Complete Combat Lifesavers Course - Story

IN IRAQ
Darkhorse Marines Secure Road to Ramadi
Troops Deliver Water to Bedranri Village
'Rocket Man' Rocks Insurgents in Ramadi

IN AFGHANISTAN
Engineer Reflects on Second Afghan Deployment
Task Force Celebrates Army’s 231st Birthday
U.S. General Speaks to Afghan Cadets
French Military Starts Second Phase of Ops

IN THE PERSIAN GULF
146 USS George Washington Sailors Now U.S. Citizens

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
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

CASUALTIES
Defense 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

Today in History
1579 - Sir Francis Drake lands in CA.
1775 - Battle of Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill).
1837 - Charles Goodyear is given his first rubber patent.
1863 - At the Battle of Aldie, Confederates fail to drive back Union forces.
1885 - The Statue of Liberty arrives in NYC aboard the French ship Isere.
1894 - The first US Polio epidemic breaks out in Vermont.
1895 - The US Ship Canal in the Bronx(W 225th St) is completed.
1940 - France asks Germany for terms of surrender.
1942 - The first WW II American expeditionary force lands on the Gold Coast in Africa.
1944 - The Republic of Iceland is proclaimed.
1953 - Sup Court Justice William O. Douglas stays the executions of spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg scheduled for the next day, their 14th anniversary.
1954 - The televised Senate Army McCarthy hearings end.
1957 - The Tuskegee boycott begins (African-Americans boycot city stores).
1963 - The Supreme Court rules against Bible reading and prayer in public schools.
1967 - China becomes the world's fourth thermonuclear power.
1975 - Voters in Northern Mariana approve commonwealth status with the U.S.
1982 - President Reagan makes his first General Assembly address (his "evil empire" speech).
1985 - The 18th Space Shuttle Mission (Discovery 5) is launched.
1986 - Chief Justice Warren Earl Burger resigns.

Birthdays
1239 - King Edward I of England
1742 - William Hooper, signed Declaration of Independence
1858 - Eben Sumner Draper, Governor-MA
1870 - George Cormack, created "Wheaties" cereal
1920 - Francois Jacob, biologist/bacteriologist, Nobel Prize winner

Passings:
1939 - Eugene Weldman, last person guillotined in France.
1989 - David S. Griggs, astronaut, in crash of WW II vintage plane.

Reported Missing in Action:
1966
The following lost in the explosion / crash of a C130E, cause unknown:
Adams, Oley N., USAF (MO); Killed, body not recovered

Cobbs, Ralph B., USN (IL); Killed, body not recovered

Collette, Curtis D., USN (CT); Killed, body not recovered

Cairns, Robert A., USAF (CA); Killed, body not recovered

Dempsey, Jack I., USN (MT); Killed, body not recovered

Freng, Stanley J., USN (SD);Killed, body not recovered

Gravitte, Connie M., USAF (NC)Killed, body not recovered

Hess, Gene K., USAF (DE);Killed, body not recovered

Romig, Edward L., USN (PA)Killed, body not recovered

Savoy, M.J., USN (MO); Killed, body not recovered

Siegwarth, Donald E., USNR (NJ);Killed, body not recovered

Washburn, Larry E., USAF (TX); Killed, body not recovered

Also Reported Missing in 1966:
Galanti, Paul E., USN (NJ); A4C shot down, paraded by the North Vietnamese in the "Hanoi March," released by DRV February, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1969
Sparks, Donald L., US Army (IA); reportedly died in captivity

1970
Cochrane, Deverton C., US Army (MA); known wounded in ambush

Laker, Carl J., US Army - Ranger (FL); believed KIA, known gravely wounded in ambush