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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

by Petty Officer 1st Class Bart A. Bauer

July 12, 2006

Sgt. James Bostick and fellow Soldiers from the 506th Regimental Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, demonstrate close-quarters battle tactics to Iraqi security forces in eastern Baghdad.

US Has New Policy on Gitmo Detainees? -- Not Exactly

Starting yesterday, and continuing today, the MSM is all over the "new decision" to treat Gitmo detainees in a manner consistent with the Geneva Conventions - contained in a DoD Memo issued July 7th.

Some have even categorized it as a "stunning reversal" of policy.

Not exactly. To be accurate, not even close.

In fact, the White House, in a February, 2002 memo, directed that although it believed that since Al Qaeda was not a High Contracting Party to Geneva, and therefore not entitled to its protections, Al Qaeda detainees were nontheless entitled to be treated humanely. The White House also said that Taliban detainees, although they did not qualify as Prisoners of War, did have some protection under Geneva, and were to be treated accordingly.

Oh, and this "stunning reversal" memo actually references that one.

The new, "stunning" memo simply reiterates that detainees should be treated in a manner consistent with the Supreme Court's recent ruling, and the DoD's understanding that its existing policies, outside of the military commission orders, are in compliance with Common Article 3 of Geneva.

Nowhere does it say that there is a new policy, or a changed policy - the entire memo is a clarification and reinforcement of existing policy.

Somehow, I'm not "stunned."

Wrong again, MSM.
This side up
Staff Sgt. Vincent Metcalf controls the pressure on a pneumatic air bag, which will lift the nose and tail of an aircraft being stabilized at Aviano Air Base, Italy, on July 6. The aircraft suffered damage after a severe thunderstorm with wind gusts that measured up to 82 knots. The storm tore through Aviano on June 29, and caused basewide damage estimated at $3.5 million. Sergeant Metcalf is assigned to the 31st Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Liliana Moreno)

America, My Hometown

america, my home town

"when i travel about this great nation i never cease
to frown,.... for wherever i seem to land and settle
i call......
america, my hometown


when i cross the goldengate in frisco bay,the western
states, the rockies and great plains, my heart wells up
with pride, ....from emotions felt deep inside and my tears
become so hard to hide.
america, my home town.


from the golden shores and shining cities of the west
to the rugged coastline of the state of maine.
our peoples quest and dreams of liberty,and freedom
still remain the same.
for justice and liberty for all, still ring true today,.....
just as the liberty bell, in our founders yesterday.
america, my home town.


along the mighty mississippi from minneapolis to
new orleans,....our country's morality and
patriotic spirit is alive and well, just as all our
other great and noble dreams.
america, my home town.

our founders vision of liberty and freedom in our country still lives
on today,thoughout our nation in cities,both large and small and
along main street u.s.a.
as lady liberty stands ever vigilant by the bay, as our founding
fathers dream of
liberty and freedom still live on, to this very day."
america, my home town.
god bless america!!!!


-- Joseph P. Martino
copyright 2005
Marines nest at Combat Outpost Hawk
By Cpl. Stephen Holt
1st Marine Logistics GroupMarines with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment sleep at Combat Outpost Hawk, which is being constructed July 6 with help from Combat Logistics Detachment 115.

Full Story

To Our Heroes

We are grateful for each of you and will keep you all in our hearts and prayers. Come home soon and be safe.

All Our Love,
Scott & Pauline Benson
Prior Lake, Minnesota


********************************

Hello from Brookfield, IL!...I want you to know my family is 100% behind what you and your buddies are doing for our country. I have the highest respect for each of you and honor you for what you are doing for us. My husband, Ted, served in Viet Nam. Thank You seems like such a small thing, but know it comes from the bottom of my heart. If you have a minute, I would really appreciate hearing from you and how you are doing. Please know you and your buddies are always in my thoughts and prayers. Take care and most important, STAY SAFE..
Soldiers Angel, Diane Sepelis


********************************

To all the GREAT men and women of our Armed Forces,

THANK YOU for our FREEDOM and for your wonderful example of fidelity. We say so many words and words are so easy to say. You may not realize it or feel it or think about it much, but you put into action the words, "There is NO GREATER LOVE than this, (to be willing) to lay down one's life for a friend". Please don't give up or lose heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! even if it may be so frustrating, please BELIEVE and even KNOW that it is worth it and you are doing something very good and so WORTHWHILE!
You are always in my prayers!

Father Kevin Sweeney
(A Catholic Priest in Brooklyn, NY)


********************************

TO ALL OF MY HEROES,

I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE
CONSTANT SACRIFICES YOU HAVE BEEN
MAKING FOR ME, MY FAMILY, AND OUR COUNTRY.
YOUR BRAVERY IS SOMETHING THAT MOVES
MY HEART TO TEARS.
YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.
YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES ARE IN MY HEART
AND IN MY PRAYERS ALWAYS.
GODBLESS YOU ALL. I LOVE YOU GUYS.

ARIANNA AND FAMILY


********************************

I hope that you know that our family kept you all in mind during the fourth..I explained to my seven year old what the holiday was about, and that it's soldiers like you that keep us a free nation.......
Thanks, John Dean
Derby, KS

********************************

Dear Soldiers,
Because of you, I was able to celebrate the Fourth of July safe in the heart of the US with my family, eating, laughing, shooting off pretty fireworks. We pray for you and yours, and we thank you for letting us enjoy our freedom, all because of you!
May God Bless and Keep you every minute of every day.
Much love and caring from Nebraska!
Punkie

********************************

I want all of you to know that even though our eyes and our hands may never meet that I consider each you as my brother and/or sister. With each sunrise that I greet and with sunset that Ibid farewell; EACH and EVERYONE of you are always inmy thoughts and prayers, 24/7. Tonight, when you layyour head down to rest, please know that America ispraying for your safety and for your quick returnhome. WE HAVE NOT FORGOT YOU! God bless the USA and all of you!
Kathryn McCord
Pacific Ocean (July 10, 2006) – The Military Sealift Command (MSC) USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) comes along side USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) during a replenishment at sea. Currently under way in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, Kitty Hawk demonstrates power projection and sea control as the U.S. Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joshua Wayne LeGrand

Iraqi Tells Gold Star Mothers Their Sacrifice Not in Vain

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

HOLMDEL, N.J., July 10, 2006 – More than 40 American Gold Star Mothers and their guests from around the country came together here yesterday to honor the children they've lost in the country's conflicts.

The ceremony, held at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial here, included a roll call honoring servicemembers from World War I through the global war on terrorism. Mothers who lost children in Vietnam and the global war on terrorism, including operations in Afghanistan and Iraq , placed wreaths near the center of the memorial.

Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi, Iraq 's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, served as keynote speaker and thanked the mothers for the sacrifices their sons and daughters have made for his country.

"We were a country without hope," Istrabadi said. "The intervention of the United States in my country has been a lifeline for us. It has restored hope for us that our future will be very different from our past."

Hearing laughter in Iraq's streets again and no longer feeling the need to cringe when admitting their heritage is part of what America's intervention has given back to his country, he said.

"These are not small things. These are things for which this country, and you as individuals and your children, have earned our tremendous gratitude," Istrabadi said. "Words of thanks truly seem to me to be insufficient to convey to you the thanks of a country, a grateful nation, which has lingered too long under tyranny."

Iraq's gratitude to the United States and the families who have sacrificed personally "will be eternal," he said.

While Istrabadi spoke directly to events in Iraq , his message resonated with all the Gold Star Mothers: Their children did not die in vain.

Among those inspired by his words was Renate DeAngelis, a New York Gold Star Mother delegate who lost her son, 22-year-old Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher W. DeAngelis, when the USS Stark was attacked on May 17, 1987. He was one of 37 killed when the Iraqis hit the guided-missile frigate with two missiles during the Iran-Iraq War.

"It was absolutely beautiful," DeAngelis said of yesterday's ceremony. "(It was) very moving."

DeAngelis, who has lived with her grief for more than 19 years, said older Gold Star Mothers help those with more recent losses deal with their grief. "With the younger mothers, it's too new," she said.

All participants in yesterday's ceremony got the opportunity to acknowledge a friend or family member who died while serving the nation.

The visit to the memorial began with a viewing of "Twilight's Last Gleaming," a short movie dedicated to Gold Star Mothers.

The group will conduct its annual business meeting today and tomorrow in Mount Laurel , N.J.
by Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey
July 11, 2006
Capt. Derrick Draper, from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, maintains radio contact with an Apache attack helicopter during a mission near Tal Afar, Iraq.

In Today's News - Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Quote of the Day
"Sell not virtue to purchase wealth,
nor liberty to purchase power."

-- Benjamin Franklin

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Homicide Bomb Strikes Market in Baghdad, Kills Five
Sectarian violence kills about 60 in Iraq
Rumsfeld in Baghdad to discuss security - Video
US Army to end Halliburton deal: report
Iraq Will Ask UN to Revoke U.S. Troops' Immunity

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Hezbollah captures 2 Israeli soldiers
Israel Sends Ground Forces Into Lebanon
Israelis kill 6 in attack on Hamas meeting
Train Attacks on India Elicit Condemnation
Mumbai back at work after blasts - Video
Gaza City Blast Kills 7
U.S. to Give Gitmo Detainees Geneva Protections

Welcome Home!!
USS Reagan Returns! (Photos)

Troops on Trial
Attorney: Midshipman Didn't Rape Woman
Accuser testifies in Naval Academy case
Coast Guard Files Third Charge Against Former Commander

Other Military News
Navy Calls Off Search for Missing Sailor

NSA / CIA
Robert Novak: Karl Rove Was One of My Sources

Worldwide Wackos
Bush to seek unity on Iran, N.Korea on trip - Video
US envoy says N.Korea response discouraging - Video
US, EU turn up pressure on Iran ahead of Paris meet - Video

Politics / Government
House OKs Web Gambling Ban
Hackers Target State Dept.
Bush Touts Lower Deficit
Stem cell backers urge Bush to reconsider veto threat

In the Courts
Ind. inmates sue to lift ban on nude mags

Oddities
NYC Dr. Sent Rambling E-Mail To Ex-Wife Before Blast
Raw Data: Doctor's E-Mail
Top 10 pick-up lines? Don't get too excited.
Darryl Peebles meet ... Daryl Peebles
"Magic" mushrooms mystical for many: study

Other News of Note
Action Vowed After Boston Tunnel Collapse Kills Woman
Video: Tunnel Tragedy
Wildfire rages in California desert

Fox News
Texas' Michael Young Gives AL Victory With RBI Triple
MySpace Top U.S. Web Site
Stocks to Watch: Genentech
9 Workers Split $9M Lottery
Bonds Indictment Coming?
Pink Floyd Founder Dies at 60

Reuters: Top News
Bloodied South Koreans protest US trade deal
Texas executes man for rape, murder of two teens
Spacewalkers to test material for shuttle repair
Killer kangaroo, demon duck of doom roamed Outback
EU fines Microsoft unprecedented $357.3 mln
Microsoft CEO pledges quicker upgrades for Windows
Santiago's killer smog is getting worse again
Volcanic leaks point to climate gas storage risks
Aging and ailing, yet Rolling Stones rock Milan
Costello, Toussaint bring Bourbon St. to NYC
Airbus mystery plane set for UK air show spotlight
Axa, Allianz bid for No.2 Serb insurer - source
Asian LCD shares up as firms tackle supply glut
Time Warner to disclose future AOL strategy soon
Nikkei down on profit outlooks, property shares - Video
Medisys shares shoot up after cash injection
Wall St seen mixed, Microsoft eyed after EU fine
LG.Philips shares jump on recovery hope
Monster Worldwide falls on Inet
RadioShack’s relevance
On the Radar: Southern Copper

AP World News
Wreckage of Bombay trains combed for clues
Rep. Hunter says detainee policy too lax
Ill. train derailment prompts evacuation
Rather joins HDNet on weekly news program
Italy soccer coach Lippi resigns
Young lifts AL over NL in All-Star game
Indian stocks rise after Bombay bombings
Tycoon to test space station technology
Delphi posts $2.4 billion loss for 2005
Fox, TBS lead baseball's new TV deal
Reynolds tries to determine her TV future
Selig happy with baseball drug testing
Experts: NASA's shuttle program is back
Obituaries in the news
New execution guidelines followed in Ohio
Aryan Brotherhood chiefs said ordered war

Military.com
VA Employee, Bosses Blamed for Data Loss
North Korea Fails to Cooperate
Semper Fi Sauvignon
U.S. Troops Weigh Impact of Stress
Border Duties Won't Hamper Disaster Response
Navy Increases Some Bonuses
GAO Report Faults Bush Iraq Strategy
Revenge Cycle Fragments Iraqi Capital

CENTCOM: News Releases
TERRORIST VIDEO RELEASED

AFGHAN FORCES LEAD COALITION RAID

TERRORISTS DETONATE 3 BOMBS OUTSIDE OF INTERNATIONAL ZONE

NATIONAL POLICE FREE KIDNAP VICTIM IN EAST BAGHDAD

MND-B SOLDIERS FIND LARGE WEAPONS CACHE NEAR MAHMUDIYAH

Department of Defense
ON THE GROUND
Project Coordination Cell Opens in Multaka - Story
Soldiers Make Streets Safer in Samarra - Story
Workers Remove Litter from Iraqi Streets - Story
Airmen Become Battlefield Innovators - Story

IN IRAQ
Iraqi Army Takes Charge of Diyala Province
Iraqi Army to Control Logistics for Compound
Gun Platoon Protects Supply Convoys
Marines Raise Morale with Mess Night

IN AFGHANISTAN
Troops Coordinate Delivery of Supplies
Reconstruction Team Molds Afghan Police
Aircrews Drop Treats to Soldiers on Fourth

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
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
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
Officials Identify 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

Today in History
1290
- King Edward I orders Jews expelled from England.
1543 - England's King Henry VIII weds Catherine Parr (his sixth, and final, wife).
1691 - William III beats James II at the Battle of Aughrim (Aghrim) England.
1774 - The citizens of Carlisle, PA, pass a declaration of independence.
1812 - U.S. forces led by General Hull invade Canada (War of 1812).
1862 - Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor.
1882 - The first U.S. ocean pier is completed in Washington, D.C.
1906 - Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer, is found innocent of treason in France.
1909 - The 16th Amendment is approved, giving the government the right to tax incomes.
1912 - "Queen Elizabeth" becomes the first foreign feature film exhibited in the U.S.
1920 - Lithuania and the U.S.S.R. sign a peace treaty; Lithuania becomes an independent republic.
1933 - Congress passes the first minimum wage law, setting minimum wage at 33¢ an hour.
1934 - The U.S. Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island are abandoned.
1948 - Six RAF Havilland Vampires become the first jets to fly across the Atlantic.
1957 - Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first U.S. President to fly in a helicopter.
1960 - Sputnik-5 (U.S.S.R.) is launched, carrying two dogs.
1966 - The U.S. Treasury announces it will buy mutilated silver coins at the silver bullion price at the Philadelphia and Denver mints.
1977 - The Enterprise Space Shuttle has its first free flight test.
1982 - FEMA promises that survivors of a nuclear war will get their mail.
1984 - Geraldine Ferraro of NY becomes the first female major-party Vice Presidential candidate.
1988 - The U.S.S.R. launches Phobos II for a Martian orbit.

Birthdays
100 BC
- Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman Emperor
1817 - Henry David Thoreau, naturalist/author/pacifist
1854 - George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera
1908 - Milton Berle, comedian (Uncle Miltie, Mr Television)
1922 - Clark MacGregor, politician (involved in Watergate)
1922 - Mark O. Hatfield (Sen-OR)
1948 - Richard Simmons, exercise guru (Deal-a-Meal)

Passings
1450
- Jack Cade, killed in a revolt against British King Henry VI

Reported Missing in Action
1967

Almendariz, Samuel, US Army SF (TX); KIA, body not recovered

Dove, Jack Paris, Sr., USAF (VA); T28D shot down, remains returned July, 1995

Frank, Martin S., US Army; released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Henry, Nathan B., US Army (NC); released by PRG (injured) March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

McMurray, Cordine, US Army (MI); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 2000

Newell, Stanley A., US Army (IL); released by PRG March, 1973 - retired as a Major - alive and well as of 1998

Perricone, Richard R., US Army (NY); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Schiele, James F., US Army (UT); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Squire, Boyd Edwin, USAF (CA); T28D shot down, remains returned July, 1995

Sullivan, Robert J., US Army SF (NH); KIA, body not recovered

Van Bendegom, James L., US Army (WI); wounded, died several days after capture

1969
Bannon, Paul W. USAF (AL); F4D shot down
Pike, Peter X., USAF (NY); F4D shot down

1972
Shimkin, Alex, US Civilian (IL)

Huard, James L., USAF (MI); F4E shot down, remains ID'd January, 1997

O'Donnell, Samuel, Jr., USAF (MI); F4E shot down

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