by 2nd Lt. Mike Bennon
September 22, 2006
Spc. James Justice, from the 84th Engineer Combat Battalion, operates a bulldozer on a construction project near Balad, Iraq. The unit, which works seven days a week, switched its operations from day to night to avoid the brutal desert heat. US Army Photo

A U.S. Army soldier, from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, offloads wire in preparation for setting up a fire line for marksmanship training with Iraqi army soldiers in Baqubah, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt

Iraqi army soldiers, from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, load their weapons and practice their marksmanship skills during a live-fire exercise near Baqubah, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt

U.S. Army soldiers, with 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and Iraqi army soldiers practice their marksmanship skills during a live-fire exercise near Baqubah, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt

U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Wallis, with 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, searches a man near Baqubah, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt

U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Wallis, with 1st Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, inspects the owner's card of a gun found during a routine search near Baqubah, Iraq, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt

by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin
September 22, 2006

Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team prepare to cross an open field during a cordon and search mission in Ur, Iraq. US Army photo.

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Explosion Kills at Least 32 in Baghdad - Video
Iraqi leader seeks unity during Ramadan
Video Shows Alleged Abuse of GIs
Car bomb in Baghdad kills 2, injures 13
Iraq leaders take breathing space on regions row

Operation Enduring Freedom
Blair: Afghan war tougher than expected
NATO Forces Kill 23 Suspected Afghan Rebels

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Osama bin Laden May be Dead - Video
U.S., French Officials Doubt Bin Laden Death Report
U.S. to blame for attack on its embassy: Syria
Iraq war spawned terrorism, radicals: U.S. report

Other Military News
F-14 Tomcat Makes Last Flight

Mid-East Ceasefire / Israel at War
Palestinian prime minister sees hope of unity deal

Religion of Peace??
Ohio car dealership blasted for jihad ad

Worldwide Wackos
Venezuelan official detained at JFK

Politics / Government
Akaka wins Senate primary in Hawaii
Many hopefuls keep Bush ties under wraps
Pelosi takes barbs in pursuit of gavel
Attacks spark tougher Guantanamo jail

Mother Nature
Hot, dry winds stoke Calif. wildfires
California Wildfires Cause Evacuation of 300 Homes
Helene could bring gales to Azores
More severe weather forecast for Midwest
Tornadoes, Lightning Kill 9

Oddities
Teacher persists on Oprah '08 Web site
Court says $32,000 is too much to fondle bosom
Burglars get severed heads shock

Other News of Note
Jerusalem tolerance museum sparks fight
3 kids found dead in fetus theft case
Police Seek Cause of Death Of Three Children in Illinois
Autopsies scheduled for later today
Guatemala Detains American Accused of Raping Girl

Fox News
Cause of 125 MPH German Train Wreck Probed
Fresh Spinach May Return to Stores Soon

Reuters: Top News
Blair appeals to Labour to stop infighting
Istanbul statue honors "great Pontiff" Benedict
South Africa's Zuma may face charges again: report
AU says plans to increase troop strength in Darfur
Japan launches satellite to explore sun
Girl gamers want respect in virtual man's world
Wal-Mart says not trying to fight movie downloads
More companies pull spinach products for E. coli
Oprah Winfrey set to debut channel on XM Satellite
HP shares rise 1 pct as Dunn resigns
Stocks fall on economic worries, but H-P up late - Video
Dollar slips vs euro as 2007 rate cut eyed
JetBlue shares fall on lower outlook
NYSE's offer closes gap with rival as shares rise - Video
Consumer finance comes on strong
Star CEOs may not be worth their pay
Sony investigates notebook fire
Nissan to sell own hybrid car in 2010 - paper
Judge set to rule on class action in tobacco case
Lone Star says talks to buy KEB still on
Slowdown fears cloud stocks' horizon
Conrad Black says he is innocent "freedom fighter"

AP World News
5 more E. coli cases blamed on spinach
Nicholson: New film a reconceived remake
Notre Dame stuns Spartans with 19 in 4th
Gibson avoids media at Okla. screenings
Bonds breaks Aaron's NL home run record
Ohio State squashes Penn State rally
'Surf City' rivalry goes to lawyers
AK Steel gives union its final offer
Plane crash at Ala. air show kills 3
Fla. teens charged with homeless attack

Military.com
More War Vets Suffering From Stress

CENTCOM: News Releases
AFGHAN SECURITY, COALITION FORCES FOIL IED ATTACKS

EXTREMISTS CONTINUE TO ATTACK INNOCENT AFGHAN CIVILIANS

USJFCOM
USJFCOM, Polish armed forces strengthen ties - podcast
Urban Resolve 2015 leaders meet with the media - photos - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Iraq President’s Letter to America - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
British, Italian Forces Hand Over Dhi Qar to Iraqis - Story
Helicopter Recovery Mission Successful in Al Anbar - Story
Field Surgical Team Excels at Saving Lives - Story
Iraqi Government Assumes Control in Dhi Qar - Story
Medical Training Facility Dedicated to Fallen Medic - Story

IN IRAQ
British Forces Distribute Rice, Flour, Oil
Medical Personnel Treat Nearly 500 Residents
U.S. Soldiers, Iraqis Hold Recruitment Drive
Trade Show Highlights Progress in Irbil

IN AFGHANISTAN
10th Mountain Division Soldiers Thwart Extremists
Legacy of Fallen Citadel Graduate Lives On

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

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
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

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1493 - Columbus starts his second expedition to the New World.
1625 - The Dutch attack San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1683 - Jews are expelled from all French possessions in America.
1742 - Faneuil Hall (Boston) opens to the public.
1789 - Congress' first Judiciary Act creates the office of Attorney General, and the Supreme Court.
1852 - The dirigible is first demonstrated.
1853 - Cornelius Vanderbilt makes the first round-the-world trip by yacht.
1862 - The Confederate Congress adopts the confederacy's seal.
1869 - Black Friday - there is panic on Wall Street as Gould & Fisk attempt to corner the gold market.
1929 - Lt. James H. Doolittle, in a Consolidated N-Y-2 Biplane, makes the first all-instrument flight.
1941 - Allied govts pledge adherence to the Atlantic Charter.
1948 - Mildred Gillars (Axis Sally) pleads innocent in Washington, DC.
1950 - Jews in Yemen are moved to Israel in "Operation Magic Carpet."
1954 - The "Tonight Show" premiers on NBC.
1955 - President Eisenhower suffers a heart attack while on vacation in Denver.
1957 - President Eisenhower orders U.S. troops to desegregate schools in Little Rock, AK.
1960 - The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is launched.
1963 - The Senate ratifies a treaty with Britain and the U.S.S.R., limit nuclear testing.
1964 - "The Munsters" premiers on TV.
1968 - "60 Minutes" premiers on TV.
1969 - The trial of the "Chicago 8" (protesters at Democratic National Convention) begins.
1970 - Luna-16 makes the first Automated return of a lunar sample.
1972 - An antique F86 Sabrejet fails to takeoff at an air show, killing 22.
1973 - Portuguese Guinea (Guinea-Bissau) declares independence.
1976 - Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is sentenced to 7 years for her part in a 1974 bank robbery (She is set free by President Carter after 22 months).
1982 - U.S., Italian, and French peacekeeping troops begin arriving in Lebanon.
1990 - South African president F.W. de Klerk meets with President George H.W. Bush in Washington, DC; the Supreme Soviet gives approval to switch to a free market.

Birthdays
1755 - John Marshall, 4th Supreme Court Chief Justice (1801-35)
1870 - Georges Claude, inventor (neon light)
1896 - F. Scott Fitzgerald, author (Great Gatsby)
1898 - Baron Florey, pathologist (purified penicillin), Nobel Prize winner (1945)
1921 - Jim McKay, sportscaster (ABC's Wide World of Sports)
1924 - Walter Fufido, Iwo Jima casualty (WW II)
1930 - John W. Young, astronaut (Gem 3 10, Apol 10 16, STS 1 9)
1936 - Jim Henson, muppeteer (Sesame Street, Muppet Show)
1939 - Manfred Wörner, Secretary General of NATO
1962 - Joseph Kennedy II (Rep-Mass)
1969 - Lisa Matthews, Playboy playmate (Apr, 1990)

Passings
1180 - Manuel I Comnenus, Byzantine emperor (1143-80)
1815 - John Sevier, indian fighter
1991 - Theodore Geisel (Dr Seuss)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Flynn, George Edward III, USAF (LA); A1E shot down (pilot), remains recovered June, 1974

Osborn, Geoffrey H., USN (FL); F8E shot down, Killed, body not recovered

1966
Whittle, Junior L., US Army (IN); drowned while swimming in the South China Sea, Killed, body not recovered

1968
Breiner, Stephen E., USMC (IN); drowned crossing river, Killed, body not recovered

Drabic, Peter E., US Army (MD); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

McConnell, Jerry, US Army (NY); drowned in Cua Viet River

1972
Borah, Daniel V., Jr., US Navy (IL); A7B shot down, remains ID'd April, 1997 - account disputed