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Saturday, October 07, 2006

Cordon and Search in Fallujah

from DefendAmerica:


An Iraqi interpreter tells Iraqi citizens to stay away from the military vehicles during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The interpreter is with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Regimental Combat Team 5, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph A. Calabuno, right, with Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 970, and an Iraqi interpreter, center, speak with an Iraqi school principal during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


Iraqi elementary students stand outside their school during a cordon and search mission being conducted by coalition forces in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


Iraqi women walk past military vehicles in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


U.S. Marines conduct a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The Marines are with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


U.S. Marines open a shop door during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. The Marines are from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 24th and 25th Marine Regiments, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mohamad H. Salameh speaks with a store merchant and Iraqi children during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. Salameh is with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, 4th Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon


U.S. Army Spc. Chris M. Heidger, with Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 970, provides security during a cordon and search mission in Fallujah, Iraq, Oct. 2, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Chad Simon

Five Years Ago Today...

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 7, 2001

Presidential Address to the Nation
The Treaty Room

1:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations, and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime.

We are joined in this operation by our staunch friend, Great Britain. Other close friends, including Canada, Australia, Germany and France, have pledged forces as the operation unfolds. More than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Asia have granted air transit or landing rights. Many more have shared intelligence. We are supported by the collective will of the world.

More than two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands: Close terrorist training camps; hand over leaders of the al Qaeda network; and return all foreign nationals, including American citizens, unjustly detained in your country. None of these demands were met. And now the Taliban will pay a price. By destroying camps and disrupting communications, we will make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans.

Initially, the terrorists may burrow deeper into caves and other entrenched hiding places. Our military action is also designed to clear the way for sustained, comprehensive and relentless operations to drive them out and bring them to justice.

At the same time, the oppressed people of Afghanistan will know the generosity of America and our allies. As we strike military targets, we'll also drop food, medicine and supplies to the starving and suffering men and women and children of Afghanistan.

The United States of America is a friend to the Afghan people, and we are the friends of almost a billion worldwide who practice the Islamic faith. The United States of America is an enemy of those who aid terrorists and of the barbaric criminals who profane a great religion by committing murder in its name.

This military action is a part of our campaign against terrorism, another front in a war that has already been joined through diplomacy, intelligence, the freezing of financial assets and the arrests of known terrorists by law enforcement agents in 38 countries. Given the nature and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose.

Today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader. Every nation has a choice to make. In this conflict, there is no neutral ground. If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocents, they have become outlaws and murderers, themselves. And they will take that lonely path at their own peril.

I'm speaking to you today from the Treaty Room of the White House, a place where American Presidents have worked for peace. We're a peaceful nation. Yet, as we have learned, so suddenly and so tragically, there can be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it.

We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it. The name of today's military operation is Enduring Freedom. We defend not only our precious freedoms, but also the freedom of people everywhere to live and raise their children free from fear.

I know many Americans feel fear today. And our government is taking strong precautions. All law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working aggressively around America, around the world and around the clock. At my request, many governors have activated the National Guard to strengthen airport security. We have called up Reserves to reinforce our military capability and strengthen the protection of our homeland.

In the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths -- patience with the long waits that will result from tighter security; patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals; patience in all the sacrifices that may come.

Today, those sacrifices are being made by members of our Armed Forces who now defend us so far from home, and by their proud and worried families. A Commander-in-Chief sends America's sons and daughters into a battle in a foreign land only after the greatest care and a lot of prayer. We ask a lot of those who wear our uniform. We ask them to leave their loved ones, to travel great distances, to risk injury, even to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. They are dedicated, they are honorable; they represent the best of our country. And we are grateful.

To all the men and women in our military -- every sailor, every soldier, every airman, every coastguardsman, every Marine -- I say this: Your mission is defined; your objectives are clear; your goal is just. You have my full confidence, and you will have every tool you need to carry out your duty.

I recently received a touching letter that says a lot about the state of America in these difficult times -- a letter from a 4th-grade girl, with a father in the military: "As much as I don't want my Dad to fight," she wrote, "I'm willing to give him to you."

This is a precious gift, the greatest she could give. This young girl knows what America is all about. Since September 11, an entire generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value of freedom, and its cost in duty and in sacrifice.

The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail.

Thank you. May God continue to bless America.

END 1:07 P.M, EDT

Related Stories / Links:
View the President's Remarks
Listen to the President's Remarks
Nation Marks Fifth Anniversary Of Enduring Freedom, Terror War


Thank you to all of our Heroes who have served, are serving, and will serve, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, in defense of our nation.


24th MEU hones combat skills in Kuwait
By Marine Corps News
Hundreds of Marines and sailors from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Kuwait Sunday, the initial wave in an amphibious landing that will bring the entire unit ashore for several weeks of desert training. ... Full Story

This Day in Terrorism - the Achille Lauro

Originally posted last year, and updated for this year:



On October 7, 1985, in Egyptian waters, four heavily-armed PLF terrorists hijacked the Achille Lauro, an Italian cruise ship with mostly elderly passengers on board.

Their demands included the freeing of 50 Palestinian prisoners from Israel. In order to make their point, they shot and killed 69-year-old American tourist Leon Klinghoffer, who was wheelchair-bound. After they murdered him, they threw his body - still in the wheelchair - overboard.

After two days, the Egyptian government provided them with safe passage in exchange for freeing the passengers and ship. They were at that time unaware of Klinghoffer's murder.

Upon discovery of the fate of Mr. Klinghoffer, however, U.S. Navy F-14 fighters intercepted the Egypt Air 737 flying the hijackers to Tunisia, forcing it to set down in Sicily. The terrorists were taken into custody by Italian authorities, tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison.

Of the hijackers and their accomplices:

Bassam al-Asker was paroled in 1991.

Ahmad Marrouf al-Assadi disappeared in 1991 while on parole.

Youssef al Molqi was sentenced to 30 years, fled to Spain while on furlough, and was recaptured and returned to Italy.

Abu Abbas, the mastermind, was convicted in absentia, remaining at large for years. As of 1998, Abbas was openly residing in Arafat-controlled Palestinian territory. Asked at that time why Klinghoffer was murdered, Abbas stated that "He created troubles. He was handicapped but he was inciting and provoking the other passengers. So the decision was made to kill him."

The U.S. has a long memory when it comes to terrorists - Abu Abbas was captured by U.S. Special Forces near Baghdad, Iraq on April 15, 2003. He died while in U.S. custody.

The PLO, for its part, was sued over the hijacking, but the suit was dropped after the PLO paid an undisclosed sum to Mr. Klinghoffer's daughters. They used the funds to establish the Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer Memorial Foundation of the Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat terrorism through legal, political and educational methods.

The Achille Lauro continued service after the hijacking - until December 2nd, 1994, when she sank off the coast of Somalia as a result of catching fire a few days earlier.

Update:
Bassam al-Asker died on February 21, 2004.

INVESTIGATION — Cpl. Joshua J. Frazier, left, a 24-year-old squad leader for Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and Lance Cpl. Michael D. Douglas, a 22-year-old mortar man with Company A, peer down through a collapsed floor in their base at Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 26, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr.

In Today's News - Saturday, October 7, 2006

Quote of the Day
"The power of an air force is terrific when there is nothing to oppose it."
-- Winston Churchill

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
4,000 Iraq police killed in past 2 years

Operation Enduring Freedom
Nation Marks Fifth Anniversary Of Enduring Freedom, Terror War

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Prisoner abuse by U.S. Guantanamo guards described
Report: Thousands wrongly on terror list

Welcome Home!!
'America's Battalion' Returns to Families in Hawaii

Troops on Trial
Sailor: I Watched Marines Shoot Iraqi
Grisly testimony in alleged Hamdania murder
Medic gets a year in prison in Iraqi's death

Other Military News
Justice Dept. Probes 'Kidnapping'Of Air Force Major in Kyrgyzstan
Marine base seeks missing laptop
Greek divers lift WWII bomber wreckage
Santa Claus Wears Kevlar

Mid-East Ceasefire / Israel at War
Hamas's 'Executive Force' gains strength in Gaza

Here We Go Again
Danish TV shows cartoons mocking Prophet Mohammad

Worldwide Wackos
U.N. Urges North Korea to Cancel Planned Nuke Test
Kim Jong Il holds rally for top military brass - VIDEO
World powers to discuss possible Iran sanctions - Video

Politics / Government
Foley Scandal Investigations Heat Up
Democrats assail Republicans over scandal - Video
Bush anti-terror message stalled by sex scandal - Video
White House Aide Named in Abramoff Report Quits
Texas Gov. Perry touts work in debate

In the Courts
Lawyer Shortage Frustrates New Orleans Judges

U.N. News
Sudan's envoy doesn't back down on warning to U.N.

News from My Neck of the Woods
Powerful Underground Explosion Rocks Waterbury (CT)

Oddities
Teacher Hacked to Death in Mexican City
Father Kills His 4 Kids, Goes to Police, Confesses
Rival Miners Hurl Dynamite at Each Other
Abducted by aliens? Call now for compensation
Stinky feet, annoying noise top IgNobel prize list
Remains of giant camel discovered in Syria

Other News of Note
Mourners to Bury 5th School Shooting Victim as 6th Lies in Grave Condition
Photos: Burials For Amish School Children
Amish girl asked to be shot first, woman says
Iowa ground beef recalled after E.Coli find: USDA

Fox News
A's Finish Playoff Sweep of Twins With 8-3 Win
Thousands Flee Toxic Cloud Caused by Plant Fire
Reports: Google in Talks to Buy YouTube for $1.6B
Fewer-Than-Expected 51,000 Jobs Added in Sept.
Hazardous Waste Plant Fire in N.C. Forces 17,000 to Evacuate
Police: Pacers' Jackson Fired Shots Outside Strip Club

Reuters: Top News
Ex-Pres. Bush pleads for more Pakistan quake aid
Opposition protests after Hungary's PM wins vote - Video
Guatemala ex-dictator may face genocide charges
Nobel nomination highlights Uighur plight: activist
FDA confirms 3 dead in E coli outbreak
Study supports theory that pets cut allergy risk
Classic games hit the spot in new-age dazzle
Microsoft releases final test version of Vista
Pakistani villagers taught animal care in wake of quake
FDA clears J&J drug for autism symptoms
Stocks slip after 3 days of gains after jobs data - Video
Dow's rally may fade, earnings next
USG shares rise 2.7 percent
Pier 1 stock rises on buyout speculation
Genta, FDA agree on Genasense trial design; shares rise
Gauging stocks by the “curve”
Paul DeMartino checks the screens and finds cars among the winners
U.S. economy to weather Big 3 woes
Kerkorian aide quits GM board, stock drops
Google in talks to buy Web video site YouTube: WSJ
Fiorina could attract interest in HP leak probe
September jobs below expectations
FDA clears J&J drug for autism symptoms
Apple manages options probe damage

AP World News
Scientists plot Mars rover's next move
Fawcett stays positive despite cancer
Tigers push Yankees to brink in Game 3
A's finish sweep of Twins with 8-3 win
Gibson takes redemption tour to 'GMA'
Sienna Miller apologizes to Pittsburgh
Pacers' Jackson fires gun outside club
NASA finds tiny hole in shuttle Atlantis
Experts: Doctors wary of doing HIV tests
Firms to tout healthy snacks in schools
Jolie, Pitt in India to film Pearl movie
Calif. man beaten to death in jail

Military.com
F-15's Begin Dropping Small Diameter Bombs
Signs Honor Military Sacrifice

CENTCOM: News Releases
AFGHAN, COALITION FORCE SEARCHES FARAH COMPOUND, DETAIN 2 EXTREMISTS

U.S. PREPARES FOR OPERATION TO AID PAKISTAN

IRAQI AND MND-B SOLDIERS CAPTURE HIGH VALUE TERRORIST, DETAIN 27 ADDITIONAL TERRORIST SUSPECTS

TERRORIST LINKED TO AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ LEADER DETAINED

IRAQIS GRADUATE FROM MACEDONIAN SF BOOT CAMP

MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS, FOIL KIDNAPPING

COMBINED OPERATIONS IN DIYALA CONTINUE TO OBSTRUCT INSURGENT ACTIVITY

CFC-A COMMANDER GIVES REMARKS AT AUTHORITY TRANSFER CEREMONY

COALITION HEADQUARTERS ASSUMES NEW ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN

IRAQI MEDICS TRAIN TO SAVE LIVES ON CAMP TAJI

MND-B SOLDIERS WORK WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH TO CARE FOR RESIDENTS OF GHAZALIYAH

USJFCOM
USJFCOM commander discusses reserve force issues - podcast
Get the latest USJFCOM News delivered to your email box
USJFCOM sends support teams to CENTCOM - podcast
Newsmaker Profile: Col. Eugene V. "Gene" Bonventre - podcast
Command working to meet the warfighter's needs with focused efforts - podcast
Command seeking information from industry on access management

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Senior NCO Visits 10th Mountain Division Soldiers - Story
Iraqi Engineer Juggles Family's Safety with Job - Story
Exercise Teaches Marines How to Thwart Attacks - Story

IN IRAQ
U.S. Soldiers Teach Iraqis About Fiber Optics
Local Doctors Treat Ghazaliyah Residents
Iraqi Army Medics Train to Save Lives
Teams Teach Contracting, Budgeting, Planning
Iraqi Army Gives Civilians Lease Payments
Iraqi Soldiers Graduate from Combat Training
Water Facility Will Deliver Millions of Gallons

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan NCOs Complete Drill Sergeant Course
Afghan Laborers Continue Work on Local Dam

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 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
1571 - The Spanish and Italians defeat the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Lepanto.
1737 - 40 foot waves sink 20,000 small craft and kill 300,000 in Bengal, India.
1765 - The Stamp Act Congress convenes in NY.
1777 - Americans beat the British the Second Battle of Saratoga and the Battle of Bemis Heights.
1780 - American militia defeat the British near Kings Mountain, SC.
1826 - The Granite Railway (first chartered railway in the U.S.) begins operations.
1868 - Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) opens.
1871 - A 16-hour fire injures 30 of Chicago's 185 firefighters.
1886 - Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba.
1908 - Crete revolts against Turkey, aligning with Greece.
1919 - The first London-to-Amsterdam airline service begins (British Aerial Transport).
1924 - Marble Bar, Australia, sees the first of 160 consecutive days of 100-degree heat.
1931 - Rochester, NY, is the site of the first infra-red photograph.
1938 - Germany demands that all Jewish passports be stamped with the letter J.
1949 - The German Democratic Republic forms from the Russian occupation zone.
1950 - U.S. forces invade Korea, crossing the 38th parallel.
1957 - "American Bandstand" premieres on TV.
1958 - Potter Stewart is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court; the U.S. manned space-flight project is renamed Project Mercury.
1963 - Bobby Baker resigns as Senate Democratic secretary; Hurricane Flora hits Haiti and the Dominican Republic, killing 7,190.
1965 - A 50-mph wind gust carries Robert Mitera's tee shot 447 yards to score the world's longest straight hole-in-one - at the 10th hole in Miracle Hills, Omaha, NE.
1968 - The Motion Picture Association of America adopts the film rating system.
1985 - The 21st Space Shuttle Mission (51-J; Atlantis-1) lands at Edwards AFB; PLO terrorists seize the Italian cruise liner Achille Lauro.
1988 - The Latvian flag is raised in Riga for the first time since annexation by the U.S.S.R.
1990 - Israel begins handing out gas masks to its citizens.

Birthdays
1728
- Caesar Rodney, patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence
1885 - Niels Bohr, physicist, expanded quantum physics / Nobel Prize Winner (1922)
1888 - Henry A. Wallace, 33rd U.S. Vice President / Progressive presidential candidate
1906 - James E. Webb, head of NASA (1961-68)
1931 - Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop of South Africa / Nobel Prize winner (1982)
1943 - Oliver North, Col., USMC / author / inventor / radio show host, (figure in Iran-Contra hearings
1951 - John Cougar Mellencamp, rocker (Jack & Diane)
1955 - Yo-Yo Ma, world famous Chinese cellist
1958 - Kim Morris, Playboy playmate (Mar, 1986)

Passings
1849 - Edgar Allen Poe, poet / author
1959 - Mario Lanza, singer

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Gilchrist, Robert M., USAF (CO); RF4C shot down (pilot)

Knight, Larry Dale, USAF (OR); RF4C crashed offshore (pilot)

Pabst, Eugene M., USAF (NY); RF4C shot down (backseater to Gilchrist)

Treece, James A., USAF (TN); RF4C shot down (pilot); status later changed to "Died while missing"

1967
Appleby, Ivan D., USAF (CA); F4D shot down (pilot, w/Austin), remains returned January, 1995 - ID'd October, 1995

Austin, William R. II, USAF (SC); F4D shot down (backseater, w/Appleby), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Fullam, Wane E., USAF (TN); F105D shot down (pilot), remains returned September, 1987

Hodges, David L., USN (MD); A4E shot down (pilot), KIA, remains ID'd April, 1999

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