IRAQ WAR TODAY
Keep Your Helmet On!




Be A Part of a Tribute to Fallen Heroes - Help Build the Fallen Soldiers' Bike
Help support the families of our deployed Heroes - Visit Soldiers' Angels' Operation Outreach
Help Our Heroes Help Others - Click Here to visit SOS: KIDS
Nominate your Hero for IWT's "Hero of the Month" - click here for details!
Search Iraq War Today only

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

LESSON LEARNED — U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ron Van Ausdal, from 1st Combat Camera Squadron, helps Iraqi boys with an English lesson in Tal Afar, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2006. Combat Camera is a joint mission composed of photographer, videographers, maintenance personnel, and project officers from all four major branches of the U.S. military to collect high quality imagery for the Department of Defense. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. DeNoris A. Mickle

The November National Security Choice

From Barbara:

Some political analysts are asserting that Democrats are talking tough on national security matters to indicate that they are not going to cede the issue to Republicans this Fall.

An examination of the Democrats’ record on national security programs and personnel, however, illustrates that such rhetoric is unsupported by concrete action.


Monitoring al Qaeda calls to/from United States

  • The President authorized the National Security Agency Terrorist Surveillance Program to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda. The purpose of the program is to detect and prevent planned attacks against the United States.

  • Democrats, in response to unauthorized revelations about the program, suggested that the program is grounds for impeachment; introduced a resolution to censure the President for his actions; and praised the fact that the existence of this program was published in the open source media.

Detaining & Interrogating Terrorists, and Placing Them on Trial

  • A Republican-led Congress provided legislation authorizing the President to bring terrorists before military commissions to answer for their war crimes and to continue an interrogation program conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency.

    • Were it not for the CIA program, our intelligence community believes that al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the homeland.

  • The majority of Senate Democrats voted against this legislation.

Patriot Act: Providing the Necessary Tools to Prevent Terrorism

  • The Patriot Act makes the tools that are available to pursue bank robbers or those who committed financial crimes available for detecting and preventing terrorist attacks.

    • It has accomplished exactly what it was designed to do: it has saved American lives.
  • When it came time to reauthorizing these tools, most Democrats filibustered that effort.

    Iraq: Completing the Mission vs. ? (no plan but withdrawal)

    • The President has provided a definition of victory in Iraq and a strategy to attain it. The President has stated on multiple occasions that victory will be achieved in Iraq when Iraq can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself against the terrorists. The National Strategy for Victory in Iraq outlines the process to achieve that end state.

    • Democrats, on the other hand, do not have a plan for victory in Iraq other than to criticize the Administration’s current strategy without offering a strategy of their own.

    • The only tangible part of their plan is either to withdraw from Iraq now, or demand a timeline for withdrawal without regard to conditions on the ground.

    • Even their hand-picked witnesses at a DPC hearing on Iraq rejected this so-called “strategy.”

      • It would leave a “regional mess.” – Major General John Batiste (ret.).

      • Iran would be “the greatest beneficiary.” – Major General Paul Eaton (ret.).

      • It would “recreate Afghanistan for the terrorists.” – Colonel Thomas Hammes (ret.).

      • Even Senator Biden, in analyzing the intervention in Bosnia, has cautioned against the dangers of setting “an artificial deadline” for the withdrawal of troops because that “would turn our troops into lame ducks as a given date approaches.” Bosnia: Why the United States Should Finish the Job, SAIS Review, Vol. 18, no. 2, p. 1 (Summer/Fall 1998).

    National Security Nominations

    • Fighting the war against radical Islamist terrorists requires not only the national security programs in place to prosecute that war; but it also requires the proper personnel in place to execute those programs. Democrats have blocked at one point, or are currently blocking, the following nominations to critical national security positions:

      • Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, John Bolton

      • Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England

      • Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Eric Edelman

      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, Peter Flory

      • Office of the Director of National Intelligence General Counsel, Ben Powell

      • Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Kenneth Wainstein

      • Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Division, Alice Fisher

      • Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, Steven Bradbury

    Energy Security: Freeing Ourselves From Foreign Oil

    • Republicans have offered real solutions to energy problems: Energy Policy Act of 2005.

    • Democrats, on the other hand, continue to assert that there is a dependence on foreign oil, but then block all efforts to ease the cost of energy for American consumers.

      • They attempted to prevent even the taking of an inventory of oil and gas resources beneath the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf.

      • They also voted to impose a substantial tax penalty on U.S. oil and gas companies by preventing them from deducting business expenses associated with drilling dry wells.

    The choice this November is clear, between a party that only talks tough on national security issues and a party that follows through on such talk with even tougher action.

    by Cpl. Thomas Childs
    October 17, 2006
    Soldiers from the Sharanna Provincial Reconstruction Team, 10th Mountain Division, provide security during operations in Gomel, Afghanistan. US Army photo

    In Today's News - Wednesday, October 18, 2006

    Quote of the Day
    "Courage and resolution are the spirit and soul of virtue."
    -- Thomas Fuller

    News of Note
    Operation Iraqi Freedom
    U.S. military too strong to lose Iraq war: Rumsfeld - Video
    Baker says no "magic bullet" for Iraq problems
    Saddam defiant as judge allows defense counsel back - Video
    U.S. forces patrol Balad after violence
    9 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq
    October U.S. GI death toll rises to 67
    Jordan Sentences 8 for Plot to Kill U.S. Soldiers in Iraq

    Operation Enduring Freedom
    'Clock Ticking' for Afghan Coalition
    Commander: Mistakes made in Afghanistan

    Homeland Security / War on Terror
    NY must answer September 11 cleanup damage claims: judge
    Prosecutors want to question shoe bomber

    Other Military News
    Bush Approves Military Pay Raise
    Audit Reveals H-1 Helicopter Problems

    Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
    Abbas says has to make decision on Hamas government - Video
    U.S. Defector Ends Silence

    Immigration / Border Control
    Border-Fence Bill Awaits Signing

    Worldwide Wackos
    Rice Takes Tough Stance on N. Korea
    Secretary of state meets with Japan PM Abe
    U.S. Sounds Warning on More N. Korea Nuke Tests - PICS
    Security Council Vote Knotted; Calls for Compromise
    Rice Visiting Asian Allies to Talk North Korea Sanctions
    North Korea Calls U.N. Sanctions 'Declaration of War'
    N.Korea defiant amid fears of new nuclear test - Video
    Sanctions Won't Hurt N. Korea
    France to Push for U.N. Iran Sanctions

    Politics / Government
    Foley to Name Alleged Molester
    House Intel Panel Head Levels Partisanship Charge
    Reid Used Campaign Money for Christmas Bonuses
    Reid to reimburse campaign for payments

    In the Courts
    Judge Vacates Ken Lay Conviction
    Wesley Snipes accused of tax fraud
    Rice Tries to Avert Arms Race

    U.N. News
    Millions around globe stand up against poverty: U.N.

    Mother Nature
    President Declares Hawaii Federal Disaster Area
    Severe Storms Rip Through Tennessee
    Hawaii quake damage estimated at $46M

    Oddities
    Man Gets 160 Years for Killing Family to Go to Prom
    Mom Guilty After Bellybutton Ring Almost Kills Teen
    Halloween's Biggest Fan
    Painting the town red, sort of.
    Diamonds are icing on $20 million wedding cake
    China university requires golf lessons
    Teen's tongue piercing linked to pain

    Fox News
    Mexican Gasoline Tanker Ship Explodes, Killing 8
    Children's Flu Shots Delayed, Doctors Concerned
    Reese Witherspoon: 'Where Are All the Real Women?'
    'Abducted' Pregnant Teen Found Unharmed
    Baby Missing After Social Worker Found Slain in Ky. Home
    Rapper Fabolous Hospitalized, Under Arrest After NYC Shooting

    Reuters: Top News
    Fighting disrupts planned Peron burial in Argentina - Video
    Ecuadoran candidates in dead heat after vote - Video
    New image gives insight into colliding galaxies
    Tank work forces NASA to revise shuttle schedule
    Music industry in 8,000 new file-share lawsuits
    Swiss close doors on giant nuclear shelter
    Somali refugees face strains of camp life
    Doctors may be able to hear cancer's spread
    Eat more fish, study urges, despite toxin risk
    Lawyer says Aniston and Vaughn a happy couple
    Madonna and child: Malawian boy comes to Britain
    LG Elec shares fall on Q4 outlook
    US stocks fall on economic worries, but IBM up late - Video
    Level 3 to buy Broadwing for $1.45 billion
    Lear says Icahn takes $200 mln stake
    Sonic shares fall 5 pct, '07 outlook lags Street
    Dow 12,000 not enough for some
    On the radar: Tsakos Energy
    CME to buy rival CBOT for $8 billion
    Intel Q3 profit falls
    IBM profit up as software, hardware revenue rise
    Yahoo net profit drops as advertising growth dips
    Sapient CEO, CFO resign
    Motorola net down; shares sink

    AP World News
    Vince Vaughn threatens to sue tabloids
    Intel beats views despite declines
    Yankees pitcher Lidle mourned at service
    Bobby Brown pays back child support
    Piniella vows to make Cubs a winner
    Yahoo 3Q profit slides on slowing growth
    Drug reactions send 700,000 yearly to ER
    IBM posts 5 percent 3Q revenue gain
    1 dead, 100 hurt in Rome subway crash
    Merck diabetes drug wins federal OK
    Madonna defends herself over adoption
    Dow ends down 31 on jump in inflation
    Wholesale prices, industrial output down
    Ravens fire offensive coordinator
    Google to convert HQ to solar power

    Military.com
    Farewell on a Dark Tarmac
    Bush Sets Defense as Space Priority
    Military Honors for a Changing Front
    Off-Base Crashes a Safety Issue for Sailors

    CENTCOM: News Releases
    KHOGYANI DISTRICT GETS A NEW COURTHOUSE

    AB BAND DISTRICT CENTER CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSES

    CTF 152 VISITS UAE; CONDUCTS EXERCISE WITH GULF NATIONS

    CONSTRUCTION OF LOGAR PROVINCE SCHOOL ON SCHEDULE

    UPDATE: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN BALAD

    NEW MEDICAL CLINIC OPENS IN PAKTIKA

    COALITION FORCES DEFEAT COMPLEX ATTACK

    NEW HOSPITAL WING BRINGS HOPE TO TARMIYA RESIDENTS

    IA CAPTURES LEADER OF KIDNAPPING AND MURDER CELL

    MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE 2 WEAPONS CACHES, DETAIN 7

    USJFCOM
    USJFCOM exhibits Joint Force Projection ACTD - podcast
    Top DoD readiness officials tour command
    Joint Systems Baseline Assessment 2006 comes to successful close - podcast
    More about the Joint Systems Integration Command
    USJFCOM commander discusses reserve force issues - podcast

    Department of Defense
    NEWS UPDATES
    U.S. Troops Help Iraqi Forces Quell Sectarian Violence North of Baghdad - Story
    For Top News Visit DefenseLink

    ON THE GROUND
    Fires Brigade Soldiers Work 'Outside the Gate' - Story
    New Medical Wing Brings Hope to Residents - Story
    Farmers’ Crops Thrive Thanks to U.S. Guidance - Story

    IN IRAQ
    Personal Security: Not Your Everyday Job
    Female Search Teams Aid Battalion's Mission
    Leaders' Infantry Training Reinforces Combat Skills
    'IED Hunters' Work to Clear, Safeguard Roadways
    Renovated Schools Set Standard in Kirkuk Area
    CSI: National Forensics Academy Opens in Baghdad
    Civil Affairs Soldiers Distribute Supplies to School
    Saab al Bour Opens Refurbished Primary School
    Soldiers Patrol the Liquid Highways of Iraq

    IN AFGHANISTAN
    Army Interpreter Pays for Mosque Supplies
    Task Force Grizzly Soldiers Eliminate Insurgents
    Afghan NCOs Complete Drill Sergeant Course

    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 Qandahar

    Gitmo

    National Hurricane Center

    Today in History
    1016 - The Danes defeat the Saxons at the Battle of Assandun.
    1648 - The Boston Shoemakers become the first U.S. labor organization.
    1685 - Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes, and outlaws Protestantism.
    1748 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of Austrian Succession.
    1767 - The Mason-Dixon line, the boundary between MD and PA, is agreed upon.
    1776 - Colonel John Glover and the Marblehead Regiment meet the British Forces in the Bronx, NY; in a NY bar decorated with a bird tail, a customer first orders a "cock tail."
    1862 - Morgan's Raiders capture the federal garrison at Lexington, KY.
    1867 - The U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia (cost was $7.2 million).
    1873 - Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers, and Yale set rules for collegiate football.
    1898 - The American flag is raised over Puerto Rico.
    1908 - Belgium annexes the Congo Free State.
    1909 - Comte de Lambert of France sets an airplane altitude record of 300 m.
    1912 - The First Balkan War begins; the Italo-Turkish was ends.
    1922 - The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is established.
    1944 - Soviet troops invade Czechoslovakia.
    1953 - Willie Thrower becomes the first black NFL quarterback in modern times.
    1954 - Hurricane Hazel (the third of that year) becomes the most severe to hit the U.S.
    1962 - The U.S. launches Ranger-5 for lunar impact; it misses the Moon; Dr.'s Watson (US), Crick (Britain), and Wilkins (Britain) win the Nobel Prize for their work in determining DNA structure.
    1967 - The Soviet Venera-4 becomes the first probe to send data back from Venus; Walt Disney's "Jungle Book" is released.
    1968 - The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the "black power" salute as a protest during a victory ceremony.
    1969 - The Federal government bans the use of cyclamates (artificial sweeteners); Soyuz-8 returns to Earth.
    1973 - Congress authorizes the bicentennial quarter, half-dollar, and dollar coins.
    1984 - The Space Shuttle Discovery moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of the STS 51A mission.
    1988 - Israel's supreme court upholds the ban on Kahane's Kach Party as racist.
    1989 - The U.S.' 62nd manned space mission (STS-34; Atlantis 5) launches into orbit.

    Birthdays
    1859 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher (Creative Evolution-Nobel 1927)
    1893 - Sir Sidney, PM of New Zealand (1949-57)
    1919 - Pierre Elliot Trudeau, 15th Canadian PM (1968-79, 1980-84)
    1921 - Jesse Helms (Sen-NC)
    1922 - Little Orphan Annie, comic strip character
    1926 - Chuck Berry, rocker (Roll over Beethoven); George C. Scott, actor (Patton, Bible, Taps, Hardcore)
    1927 - Katherine Fanning , editor (Christian Science Monitor-1983)
    1928 - Keith Jackson, sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football)
    1930 - Frank Carlucci, National Security Advisor / Secretary of Defense (1987-89)
    1939 - Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK assassin; Mike Ditka, coach / tight-end (Bears, Cowboys)
    1956 - Martina Navratilova, tennis great (Wimbledon 1989,79,82-87)
    1958 - Jean-Claude Van Damme, actor (Kickboxer, No Retreat)
    1960 - Emily Arth, Playboy playmate (Jun, 1988)
    1961 - Wynton Marsalis, jazz trumpeter (Grammy 1983)
    1966 - Angela Visser, Miss Universe (1989)

    Passings
    1676
    - Nathaniel Bacon, rebelled against the Jamestown government, collapsed and died during rebellion
    1862 - James Creighton, from bladder ruptured while hitting HR on Oct 14th
    1876 - Francis Preston Blair, newspaper editor (Washington Globe)
    1931 - Thomas Alva Edison, inventor, at 84
    1982 - Bess Truman, former First Lady, at 97
    1984 - Jon-Erik Hexum actor, at 26; shot by a gun loaded with blanks

    Reported Missing in Action
    1965
    Hamilton, Walter D.; escaped October, 1965

    Brudno, Edward A., USAF (MA); F4C shot down (w/Collins), released by DRV February, 1973 - committed suicide

    Collins, Thomas E., III, USAF (MS); F4C shot down (pilot, w/Brudno), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel, decorastions include 2 Silver Stars, Merit Service Medal, Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts and eight other medals, was Republican nominee for Congress in 1988 from Mississippi, served as Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor under G.H.W. Bush - alive and well as of 1998

    North, Joseph, Jr., USMC; escaped October, 1965

    Pyles, Harley Boyd, USAF (OH); O1E crashed (pilot, w/Sisson)

    Sisson, Winfield Wade, USMC (CA); O1E crashed (passenger, w/Pyles)

    Thorne, Larry A., US Army SF (CT); CH34 shot down (passenger)

    1966
    Adams, Steven H., USAF (IA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (pararescue)

    Angstadt, Ralph Harold, USAF (PA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (pilot)

    Clark, Lawrence, USAF (IN); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (radio operator)

    Hill, Robert L., USAF (MI); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (flight mechanic)

    Long, John H., USAF (PA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (co-pilot)

    Rackley, Inzar M., USAF (TX); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (navigator)

    Shoneck, John R., USAF (CT); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (flight mechanic)

    1967
    Barr, John F., USN (AR); A4E shot down (pilot), remains returned in two phases, April, 1988 and September, 1989

    Ogden, Howard, Jr., USMC (NE); KIA, body not recovered

    1970
    Strait, Douglas F., US Army (WA); OH6A shot down (observer)

    nocashfortrash.org