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Thursday, October 19, 2006


WELCOME HOME DAD - An officer aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams hugs his child after returning from deployment, Oct. 17, 2006. The USS Williams and a crew of over 300 sailors conducted anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia during their maiden deployment as part of maritime security operations. U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer Seaman Ash Severe

New York’s finest serve global mission

from Marine Corps News:


Oct. 19, 2006
Story ID#: 2006101975828
By Lance Cpl. Ben Eberle, 1st Marine Logistics Group

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 19, 2006) -- Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, two New York City police officers continue to serve, but not in the uniform one would expect.

Lance Cpl. Farah M. Sainvil and Gunnery Sgt. Nelson T. Hernandez traded their “NYPD blue” for camouflage and combat boots to serve a seven-month tour in Iraq.

Deployed with Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 5-2, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), the two Marine reservists live and work out of Camp Fallujah.

“I feel that our being out here is necessary,” said Sainvil, an administration clerk with Headquarters Company. “I’m sure that those people who passed away on 9-11 are looking down on us right now and are grateful.”

Sainvil, a 32-year-old from Staten Island, N.Y., had three jobs prior to her enlistment in May 2001, but working fulltime as a bank teller and two other part-time jobs wasn’t the kind of life she was looking for.

“I was about to swear in to the Air Force when they scooped me up,” she confided. “They” were Marine recruiters who presented Sainvil, then 27, with a challenge she couldn’t resist. “I was at Parris Island within a month.”

She graduated boot camp and went back to South Carolina for Marine Combat Training. The instructors carted a big-screen television into the Marines’ living quarters where she watched the terrorist attacks for the first time on Sept. 11.

“I thought, ‘Oh boy, we’re going to go to war.’” Sainvil added that watching the attacks with other Marines fresh out of boot camp was an experience she’ll always remember. She joined the New York City Police Department shortly after completing her training.

“When I got home I saw the damage firsthand… and being a Marine motivated me to be a part of (the recovery),” she said.

As for her law-enforcement training: “I didn’t know at first whether or not I could handle it, but after boot camp I felt like superwoman,” Sainvil laughed, adding that she hopes to inspire other Marines to one day join the police force.

“When they see that a petite female can do it, they feel that they can do it to,” she said, her soft-spoken confidence adding a few inches to her 5-foot frame. “I might be a bit biased, but I think Marines make the best cops.”

If Sainvil plans to convince every Marine she works with to become a police officer, she doesn’t have to knock on Gunnery Sgt. Hernandez’s door. The 38-year-old from Bronx, N.Y., has served in the NYPD for nearly 14 years. Like Sainvil, he joined the department immediately following boot camp.

“My older brother was a police officer,” explained Hernandez, maintenance chief with Headquarters Company. “He said, ‘Take the test, see what happens’ … I’ve been there ever since.”

He said he enjoys the camaraderie of both the NYPD and the Marine Corps and that their missions have a lot in common.

“Back home my job is to help people out who are in some kind of trouble,” said Hernandez. “The payback comes when you see someone you helped a few years back – and they see you – and remember.

“You might not be able to change the world but if you can help one individual out, it’s worth it,” he added.

The Marine Corps, Hernandez said, does for the big picture what police departments do for the local community. “We are the world’s 9-1-1 force.”

Both Hernandez and Sainvil joined Headquarters Company from 6th Communication Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, a reserve unit out of Brooklyn, N.Y.

by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price
October 19, 2006
Sgt. Maj. Benny Hubbard, from the Army Corps of Engineers, greets an Iraqi child prior to a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new elementary school in Afak. US Army photo

From Soldiers' Angels International Goodwill Ambassador

From Willie:


Dear Angels and Friends,

we have been representing the Angels here in Germany since 2003. Since July 2006 we set up a new team called "Soldiers Angels Europe." We are an international team of people from different European countries and Americans who are working here together, on site and/or over the internet.

http://darkblueworld.info/soldiers_angels_europe/?page_id=454

One of our projects includes welcoming our heroes to our wonderful Country. Soldiers Angels Europe distribute monthly around 90 welcome packets with welcome letters, goodies and information about our wonderful countries here in Europe (pamphlets, postcards etc.). These soldiers (outpatients) are usually only transitioning through Germany and depending on their medical status, are either being send stateside for further treatment or return to their duty stations (Iraq or Afghanistan). Some of them have never been to Germany before and most of those that arrive, don't even get to see anything beyond the gate of the hospital or barracks, which is rather sad if you think about it.

http://darkblueworld.info/welcome.back/?p=47

Soldiers Angels Europe also work tirelessly here in Europe to support and welcome our heroes who are returning to their overseas duty stations here in Germany, often away on long deployments fighting global terrorism. We are an international team, which would like to show the single soldiers here in Germany the same appreciation as their counterparts receive when they arrive on home soil, till they finally make it "Home" to friends and family -- that's why we are working on our "Welcome Back Book -- till you get Home - Greetings". It will be ready at the end of October.

If anyone has not sent any greetings yet, then please feel free to do so -- they are always very appreciated -- we couldn't accomplish our tasks without your valuable help.

http://darkblueworld.info/welcome.back/?p=13

The complexity of our work required an overhaul of our online presentation -- please visit our new websites:

Soldiers' Angels Europe
http://darkblueworld.info/soldiers_angels_europe/

Soldiers' Angels Europe "projects"
http://darkblueworld.info/sae.projects/

Soldiers' Angels Europe "welcome back"
http://darkblueworld.info/welcome.back/

Have you visited our photo gallery yet?

BBQ at Ramstein Inn Landstuhl
>http://darkblueworld.smugmug.com/gallery/1929040

Welcome to Kaiserslautern, Germany
>http://darkblueworld.smugmug.com/gallery/1818866/3

Since 01. September 2006 Sandra Weiland`s Coalition Angels and her international team (European and Americans Angels) are part of Soldiers Angel Europe, supporting the hard working Soldiers of the Coalition. - such as the British, Canadians, Dutch or Germans (etc.) deployed to Afghanistan , Iraq , Kosovo or any other country in this world as well as the forgotten branches and the forces behind the scenes.

Soldiers' Angels Europe "coalition angels"
>http://darkblueworld.info/coaliton.angels/

Soldiers' Angels Europe "coalition angels projects"
>http://darkblueworld.info/coalition.angel.projects/

Thank you very much for your support and standing with us! We all are very proud and honoured to be working with you on this together. I will give you an update (08./09.2006) what we are doing here in Germany.
Thank you for reading this.

Wilhelmine (Willie) Aufmkolk
Soldier's Angels Foundation
INTERNATIONAL GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
and SOLDIERS ANGELS EUROPE

First F-22 slated for Pacific rolls out
MARIETTA, Ga. (AFPN) -- Lockheed Martin rolled out the first combat-capable F-22 Raptor Oct. 16 destined for basing and operations in the Pacific Rim.Raptor 5087 completed its final assembly, with Air Force leaders from Alaska and Lockheed Martin employees on hand to mark the event outside the production line in Marietta.

Iraqi Army medics making house calls

Iraqi Army field medic Sabah prepares to take the blood pressure of an Iraqi National Police officer. Photos by U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone.BAGHDAD — Life in Iraq is often without conveniences western cultures can take for granted. Even a simple visit to the doctor’s office for treatment or medicine can be an arduous task.


Wednesday, 18 October 2006
By U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone
MNSTC-I Public Affairs

For Iraqi policemen, making that trip can be even more painstaking because of the particular dangers and security threats associated with their jobs.

Iraqi Army field medics, along with Coalition doctors, are now making house calls to Iraqi National Police units to alleviate some of these extra risks.

“It is no secret that our police need proper healthcare,” Sabah said with the help of an interpreter. “An officer needs to know if they get shot, injured or simply sick, that there are people ready to take care of them.”

For Malid, it’s more than just a job.

“We do this because we want to help the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi people,” he said through an interpreter. “We deal equally with all patients, it does not matter if you are Sunni, Shia or Kurd. If you need help, we will treat you the same.”

Both medics are in the Iraqi Army and studying to become doctors. At present, they are primarily responsible for checking patients’ vital signs and performing minor surgeries, but according to their Coalition mentors, they will take over more responsibilities over the next few months.

Malid and Sabah travel throughout Baghdad with the Coalition doctors, to conduct such check-ups on the police. They will soon become permanent staff members at a new medical facility in the Dora area of Baghdad. The facility, which is currently under construction, is designed to be a trauma center for police and Iraqi soldiers who work in the area.

Both medics and their Coalition advisors agree that they bring more than just medicine to their fellow police and soldiers.

“Most police and soldiers spend months away from their families and are afraid to tell them what they are doing because the insurgents would kill them,” Sabah said. “They need to see fellow Iraqis helping and supporting them; this helps them feel like they are not alone in their fight against those who want to destroy our new government. This is more important than medicine.”



Iraqi Army medic Malid takes the blood pressure of an Iraqi National Police officer. Photos by U.S. Navy Journalist 2nd Class John J. Pistone.Sabah and Malid are two such field medics, and regularly visit the policemen to ensure their healthcare needs are met and that they can remain on the job.

Norfolk, Va. (Oct.17, 2006) - The Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) man the rails as it pulls into port at Naval Station Norfolk. James E. Williams and a crew of over 300 Sailors conducted anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia during their maiden deployment as part of the Maritime Security Operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo

Afghan National Military Hospital Accepts Shriners Donation of Orthopedic Supplies

Release Date: 10/18/2006
Release Number: 06-01-01PS

KABUL , Afghanistan — Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia recently teamed with U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan to donate and transport much-needed orthopedic devices to the Afghanistan National Military Hospital in Kabul.

In a ceremony Oct. 18 with U.S. military medical personnel and their Afghan counterparts, Maj. Gen. Yaftali Ahmad Ia, Afghanistan ’s Surgeon General, gratefully accepted the gift on behalf of the Afghan government and people.

The supplies donated consist of specially made equipment called “fixators,” devices that provide rigid immobilization of a fractured bone by means of rods attached to pins that are placed in or through the bone.

With Afghanistan security forces fighting extremists and with Afghan people, including many children, falling victim to land mines after more than 30 years of warfare here, Afghan officials said the devices are greatly needed.

Dr. Yaftali said medical supplies are desperately needed in Afghanistan , but this donation is a great start in the right direction.

Afghanistan ’s military medical community is continuing to evolve and grow and the devices will help the Afghan medical corps continue its development, said Lt. Col. Bob Tallman, a U.S. spokesman in Afghanistan.

“Three years ago we started with nothing, today, slowly, Afghanistan is recovering and standing strong because of our friends,” Yaftali told his U.S. colleagues. “My friends at the Shriners Hospital are very generous with this donation. The orthopedic surgical supplies will benefit many people including children in my country.”

The equipment also has great training value, said members of the Combined Security Transition Command -- Afghanistan, the U.S.-led organization that is helping to train and mentor Afghanistan's growing national security forces.

Maj. Timothy Marean, a U.S. Army physician and medical mentor to the Afghan National Army, said the new equipment is a gigantic leap forward in the level of care the ANA will be able to provide to its patients.

“The new equipment allows us to train and teach our Afghan counterparts skills equal to those found in the United States ,” said Marean. “The ANA, Afghan National Police and their families use this facility and this donation is allowing the doctors here to make great strides in the care given.”

The donation was carefully planned earlier this summer after Shriners' heard of the critical demand for fixator devices. Shriners is considered one of the foremost pediatric orthopedic and spinal cord injury hospitals in the world.

Dr. Raymond Haslam, a member of the Board of Governors of Shriners' Hospital, assisted in the transportation of medical equipment to the Defense Distribution Depot in Susquehanna, Pa. Shriners also worked closely with Col. (Dr.) Donald Thompson, the command surgeon of CSTC-A, to get the supplies to Afghanistan.

"I believe that humanitarian efforts are very important," said Dr. James McCarthy, Shriners’ Assistant Chief of Staff.

Shriners mission is to provide care at no cost for children with orthopedic conditions and our philanthropic nature extends to our colleagues overseas."

Since 1926, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Philadelphia has been providing expert medical care at no cost to children between the ages of birth to 18 years of age, with orthopedic conditions resulting from injuries and diseases of the bones, joints, and muscles as well as spinal cord injuries.

For more information, contact Kabul-Presscenter@cfc-a.centcom-DOT-mil.

NEW HOSPITAL — Frank Scopa, Anaconda area engineer, Tony Chessell, of Prime Projects, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Silverman, 3rd Medical Command commander, Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, and Col. Brian Masterson, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group commander, break ground for the new Air Force Theater Hospital on Balad Air Base, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Chad Kellum

In Today's News - Thursday, October 19, 2006

Quote of the Day
"When you are required to exhibit strength, it comes."

-- Joseph Campbell

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Suicide bomber, clashes kill 20 Iraq's Mosul
Iraqi Police Impose Curfew in Mosul After Blast
Deadly Month for U.S. Troops - Video

Operation Enduring Freedom
NATO troops among dead in Afghan suicide raid

Homeland Security / War on Terror
U.S. Gov't Skeptical of Threat Against NFL Stadiums
Rumsfeld: Terror threat not exaggerated

Troops on Trial
Eight GIs Face Court-Martial Over Rape, Murders

Other Military News
Eastwood examines nature of heroism in new movie ("Flags of our Fathers" - can't wait to see this one. The book is fantastic)
Troops Still Have Time to Vote Absentee
Marines to Recall Battalions

Immigration / Border Control
Calif. city bars illegal immigrants from renting

Worldwide Wackos
Rice Seeks Firm South Korean Action on N. Korea - VIDEO
Bush: North Korea Would Face Penalties For Selling Nukes
Photo Essay: A Day in the Life in North Korea
China Dispatches Envoys to N. Korea Amid 2nd Test Rumors
China envoy meets N.Korea's Kim on nuclear issue
U.S. says path open to N.Korea for negotiation
Bush: U.S. will stop N. Korea nuke moves

Homegrown Moonbats
Calif. school site of meditation flap

Politics / Government
FBI Plans to Expand Foley Page Probe
Approval of Republicans at record low: poll (Approval of all of Congress is pretty low)
Hopi chairman ousted from office
Bush goes on base-building trip to N.C.

Mother Nature
10 million people at risk from pollution
Scientists say Hawaii hit by two quakes

Oddities
7 Funeral Home Directors Plead Guilty to Selling Body Parts
Suicide Note Leads to Dismembered Body Above Voodoo Shop
New Orleans Man Dismembers, Cooks Woman
Make no mistake: don't "bank" on Kazakh money
U.S. casino magnate gives Picasso's dream the elbow
AP: Colo. water wars include spy campaign

Other News of Note
Search on for Missing Oregon Boy

Fox News
Child Porn Sweep Nets 125 Suspects
Mets Beat Cardinals 4-2, Force NLCS Game 7
Nissan Recalls 130,000 Cars With Faulty Ignition Key
Search Continues for Oregon Boy Four Nights After Disappearance at Crater Lake
Gas Station Video, Credit Card Linked to Kentucky Murder, Kidnap Suspects
Stocks to Watch: Apple and EBay

Reuters: Top News
Complete Darwin works put online
Darfur rebels demand new talks, self-determination
Sri Lanka on edge over fear of more rebel violence - Video
French police cordon off fast food outlet near Paris
Five Ukrainian ministers tender resignation
Nigeria's Obasanjo declares emergency in Ekiti state
New images may give clues on universe's origins
Bees, other pollinators may be declining
Microsoft releases long-awaited Explorer 7
Sony CFO: 9.6 mln PC batteries could be recalled
Is God dead? Atheism finds a market in U.S
U.S. consumer prices drop, home building rebounds
Obesity may be linked to shorter sleeping times
U.S. to get 115 million flu vaccines this year: CDC
McCartney vows to fight wife's abuse claims
Investors eye Philly Fed, stocks fall - Video
Oil nears $58 as OPEC set to cut output
Dollar steadies vs yen ahead of Philly Fed data - Video
Nikkei falls as chip equipment makers, Hoya slip
Yahoo sees social network sites competing for ads
A new hand of credit cards
Dollar seen benefiting from equity flows
Sony slashes 2006/07 outlook on battery recalls
NBC Universal to announce big restructuring: report
OPEC readies knife for oil cut
Sportingbet to take $391 mln charges after US sale
EBay CEO sees no pullback from business in China
Capital One third-quarter profit up 20 pct

AP World News
Cuts in Medicare hurt wheelchair users
Yoko Ono sues EMI, subsidiary for $10M
Mets beat Cardinals' ace to force Game 7
Wal-Mart to expand generic drug program
Social Security benefits to rise in 2007
California presents Salton Sea proposals
Apple profit up 27 pct., beating views
Study: Anti-aging supplements don't work
Osbourne plans to remove gastric band
Bears safety Mike Brown out indefinitely
Obituaries in the news
NBC Universal to make $750M in cuts

Military.com
Army Expects Smaller Budget Boost
British Forces Take to The Water

CENTCOM: News Releases
THREE SCHOOLS RE-OPEN IN GELAN DISTRICT

JUDICIAL TRAINING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED IN GARDEZ

CONSTRUCTION OF THE TESHA GIRLS SCHOOL

U.S., COALITION, NATO AEROMEDICAL CREWS TRAIN TO SAVE LIVES

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. General: Afghan Road, Electricity Projects Move Ahead - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Marine Combat Engineers Repair Roadways - Story
Firefighters: Duty First in Tough Neighborhoods - Story

IN IRAQ
Fires Brigade Soldiers Work 'Outside the Gate'
New Medical Wing Brings Hope to Residents
Farmers’ Crops Thrive Thanks to U.S. Guidance
Personal Security: Not Your Everyday Job
Female Search Teams Aid Battalion's Mission

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

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
1298 - In Heilbron, Germany, 140 Jews are murdered during the Rindfleish Persecutions.
1765 - The Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, writes its Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
1781 - At 2:00 p.m., Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, ending the Revolutionary War.
1812 -Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow.
1818 - The U.S. and the Chicasaw Indians sign a treaty.
1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first American woman to receive a medical degree.
1853 - The first flour mill in Hawaii begins operations.
1859 - Wilhelm Tempel discovers a diffuse nebula around the Pleid star Merope.
1864 - Approximately 25 Confederates make a surprise attack on St. Albans, VT; Union troops beat back Confederate attackers at the Battle of Cedar Creek, in VA.
1870 - The first four Blacks are elected to the House of Representatives.
1872 - The world's largest gold nugget (215 kg) is found in New South Wales.
1888 - Moshav Gederah is attacked by the Arabs.
1901 - Santos-Dumont proves the maneuverability of the airship by circling the Eiffel Tower.
1912 - Tripoli (Libya) passes from Turkish to Italian control.
1919 - For the first time, the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to a woman.
1933 - The Berlin Olympic Committee votes to introduce basketball in 1936.
1944 - U.S. forces land in the Philipines.
1950 - U.N. forces enter Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
1951 - President Harry S. Truman formally ends the state of war with Germany.
1953 - The first transcontinental nonstop scheduled jet service takes place.
1960 - France grants independence to Mauritania; Martin Luther King, Jr., is arrested at an Atlanta sit-in; the U.S. imposes an embargo on exports to Cuba.
1967 - Mariner-5 makes a fly-by of Venus.
1970 - John Linley Frazier, the "Killer Prophet," murders the Ohta family, and declares that WWIII has begun.
1977 - The Supersonic Concorde jet makes its first landing in NYC.
1983 - The Space Shuttle Columbia moves to the Orbiter Processing Facility.
1986 - The U.S.S.R. expels five U.S. diplomats.
1987 - On "Black Monday," the Dow Jones is down 508.32 - four times the previous record; U.S. warships destroy two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.
1988 - Three Americans win the Nobel Prize in physics; Britain bans broadcast interviews with IRA members; a car bomb kills 7 Israelis and wounds 11 near the Lebanon border; the U.S. Senate passes a bill curbing ads during children's TV shows.

Birthdays
1862 - Auguste Lumiére, co-maker of the first movie (Workers Leaving Lumiére Factory)
1863 - John Huston, NY Times editor (1937-38))
1868 - Bertha Landes, first female mayor of a major U.S. city (Seattle)
1876 - Mordecai (3 finger) Brown hall of fame pitcher
1899 - Miguel Asturias, poet/novelist/diplomat, Nobel Prize winner (1967)
1901 - Arleigh A. Burke, U.S. Admiral (WW II)
1910 - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Indian physicist (Nobel 1983)
1922 - Jack Anderson, newspaper columnist (Washington Post)
1945 - John Lithgow, actor (Harry & the Hendersons, Third Rock from the Sun)
1966 - Anna Clark, Playboy playmate (April 1987)
1967 - Amy Carter, daughter of President Carter / peace activist

Passings
1983 - Maurice Bishop, prime minister of Grenada, and others, murdered in coup

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Worchester, John B., USN (MI); A4C disappeared while on bombing mission

1966
Burke, Michael J., USMC (IL)

Lewandowski, Leonard J., Jr., USMC (IL)

Mishuk, Richard E., USMC (MN)

1970
Wilson, Peter J., US Army SF (NY); disappeared while on reconnaissance patrol

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