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Friday, October 20, 2006


Pacific Ocean (Oct. 20, 2006) - Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Tim Tuttle from Washington, N.J., pulls the 50-pound training mannequin "Oscar" towards a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB), not shown, during a man overboard drill. USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Sailors perform search and rescue training at various times during the year, focusing on both small-boat operations and in-water rescue techniques. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Adam York

Joint patrols knocking on doors in Doura

Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, accompanied Iraqi National Police from the 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, during security operations in Doura. Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.


Friday, 20 October 2006
By Staff Sgt. Brent Williams
4th BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.

BAGHDAD — A loud knock on the door breaks the silence of the mosque and grabs the attention of its occupants. A representative of the local imam, his family members and associates standing behind him, greet the Iraqi National Policemen standing at their door. After a brief introduction, the police officers from 6th Battalion, 2nd National Police Division file into the Islamic building used for prayer and worship.The day’s mission has all but ended as the leaders of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment provide watch from across the street. At the request of the INP, and in respect for Iraqi culture, the Soldiers attached to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division will not be entering the mosque on this mission.

“The (INP) forces are doing most of the searching part of this cordon element, with my Soldiers providing oversight, assistance and expertise as necessary,” said Lt. Col. Gregory Butts, commander, 2nd Bn., 506th Inf. Regt., 101st Airborne Division, attached to 4th BCT, 4th Inf. Div. “Only Iraqi Security Forces will go in and search the mosque,” Butts said, observing the ISF scouring the roof of the mosque. “The NP want to go in and search it because they also feel it is more appropriate, especially during Ramadan. We are here in case there are any problems.”

Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers continue to conduct security operations, like this one, throughout Baghdad to provide a secure and stable environment for Iraq.

Baghdad’s Doura neighborhood has been plagued by terrorist elements, and the Soldiers operations completed in the area have become routine for ISF and MND-B Soldiers.

The Soldiers link-up with their Iraqi counterparts in the early morning hours. The IPs roll their vehicles into the march and prepare for the upcoming mission.

“Doura has been our main effort for the brigade and division,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Moss, 2nd Bn., 506th Inf. Reg. “Our whole goal is to give the Iraqi people the courage and confidence to actually defend themselves and enjoy life as a free people.

”The units move simultaneously and block off key entrances, isolating a small portion of the neighborhood, in this case, near the Doura Power Plant in southern Baghdad. The Soldiers and NP officers dismount and form their teams for conducting the intensive search operations that have affectionately earned the nickname, “a block party.”

The efforts of the ISF and MND-B Soldiers are helping the Iraqi government to stand up to the challenge of securing the nation’s capital, said Moss.“One thing for the Iraqi people, them gaining trust in their Iraqi Police and National Police, will individually help us out because they know we are there for a purpose,” said Moss.

“Eventually, the people are going to help us close out this war because we need them just as much as they need us.”

The area of responsibility assigned to the battalion is at times challenging for the “Renegade” Soldiers, who have been responsible for the Doura area for nearly a year. “Every day they go out,” Moss beamed, “they know they are going out for a purpose: to help the Iraqi people. Now our main effort is Doura, cleaning that bad boy out of insurgents, improvised-explosive devices and trash – anything that will help the Iraqi people stand-up and enjoy life like citizens.”

For Company A’s 2nd Lt. Terry Gambrel, 2nd Platoon leader, the military is doing all the right things – taking the fight to the enemy, creating a more confident and capable ISF and securing the Doura neighborhood for the Iraqi people.

“From the time we got here, we haven’t slowed down our (operation tempo), and if anything, towards the end, we have picked it up even more,” Gambrel said. “We have had a lot of big operations – Together Forward being the biggest. After we are done taking it to the enemy and aggressively securing an area, we can’t just go back to the forward operating base and say we are finished.”

While the brigade and battalion leadership works with local leaders in the area to control Doura, the Soldiers of “Easy Company” are witnessing a more self-reliant ISF, said Gambrel.

“These guys are good, and they have the ability to affect change,” said the former Special Forces Soldier about the Iraqis from the 6th Bn., 2nd NPD. “These guys are a more capable unit than what we have seen in the past.”

In less than four hours, the Soldiers sweep the neighborhood, thoroughly searching more than 140 homes and buildings – a task that would have taken longer, and with buildings such as the mosque, would have been virtually impossible without the presence of the INP.

The presence of the Iraqi Security Forces is measured and respected by both the Iraqi citizens in Doura and the MND-B Soldiers partnered in the cause. People open their doors and find comfort in the Iraqi soldiers working with the MND-B Soldiers, said Pfc. Jeremy Bailey, infantryman, Co. A, 2nd Bn., 506th Inf. Regt.“It’s been a lot safer. A lot of people are really happy,” said Bailey, a native of Calhoun, Ga. “They feel a lot safer.”

Operation Together Forward was the toughest task for Bailey to date, who upon completing his basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., arrived to the unit eight weeks into the deployment.

“It was kind of rough because we were out there for 15 hours a day, and all we had time to do was come back for a couple hours of sleep and then it was up and back out there again,” Bailey remembered. “This is a tough job.”

Despite the long days, the hard work and the imminent danger, Bailey, who once took shrapnel in his face, said he wants to see his work and efforts affect more than a temporary change.

“Sometimes, I have my doubts, but I think it could be possible,” he explained. “I notice little changes. Now, I notice that they have a trash-cleaning crew out in sector, and people throw their garbage in a dump truck. It’s the little things like that we are seeing that are starting to help us out. I believe it is getting better.”

Bailey and Gambrel, as well as their leaders, attribute their recent successes to the dedication and the hard work of the ISF working to rebuild Baghdad.

Talk to the people in Doura – watch the NP, said Gambrel. They are accomplishing the security mission in Doura. The people will say that Doura is secure.

“We are doing exactly what I think we are supposed to be doing,” Gambrel said. “We want a more confident ISF, and that is what we are doing. “Every target we hit, we take the ISF with us – the cordon and knock missions, everything we do – those guys are with us. If we run into some kind of problem, they come running. They are also out there patrolling themselves. That’s a huge leap from when we first arrived.”


Iraqi National Police summon Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, over to a small weapons cache hidden in a trash dump behind a neighborhood in Doura.

PREPARING TO DETONATE — U.S. Air Force airmen, from an explosive ordnance disposal team with the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, unpack C-4 explosive which will be used to detonate a cache of unexploded ordnance recovered from a blast area at the ammunition holding area on Forward Operating Base Falcon, Iraq, following a recent mortar attack, Oct. 14, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jacob H. Smith

We are Experiencing Technical Difficulties - Please Stand By

A few computer issues this morning -

regular posting should resume later today.

TAKE AIM — U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Evan E. Miller, assigned to Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment aims with a M-32 Multiple Grenade Launcher at Camp Fallujah's Eagle Range Oct. 16, 2006. Marines are serving a seven-month deployment with Regimental Combat Team 5. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

In Today's News - Friday, October 20, 2006

Quote of the Day
"RECRUIT, n. A person distinguishable from a civilian
by his uniform and from a soldier by his gait."

-- Ambrose Bierce, in The Devil's Dictionary

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Anti-American Cleric's Shiite Militia Seizes Control of Southern Iraq City
New attacks in tense Iraqi town of Balad kill 9 - Video
Remembering 'Bear'
U.S. reviews Baghdad strategy as troop deaths mount - Video
Bush Faces a Battery of Ugly Choices on War
White House Rejects Iraq Partition Plan

Operation Enduring Freedom
Gunmen Kill 8 Afghans Employed By U.S. Military
Bombers hit Afghanistan ahead of major holy day

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Remains from WTC site found in manhole
Milwaukee Man Questioned in NFL Stadium Threat
Stadium threat from Internet deemed a hoax
How-to Manual for Terrorists
Anti-Terror Law Concerns Red Cross

Other Military News
Troops' debt a growing security concern

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Israel Warns of Possible 'Invasion' of Gaza
Hamas PM says rejects notion of fresh elections - Video
Hamas Charities Thrive

Immigration / Border Control
10 smuggled immigrants found in boxcar

Worldwide Wackos
Report: Kim Jong-Il Says He 'Regrets' Nuclear Test
N.Korea's Kim says no further nuclear tests: report - Video
S.Korea, U.S. still apart on how hard to press North
China asks for calm amid N.Korea dispute
North Korean Ploy Masks Ships Under Other Flags
Rice Presses S. Korea to Pursue Full Sanctions
Iran says Europe may be hurt by backing Israel
Iranian President Says Israel Will Disappear
Iran says Security Council rulings illegitimate

Politics / Government
Boehner Testifies Before Ethics Panel on Foley
Priest Admits Lying Naked With Ex-Rep. Foley
Bush campaigns for Pa., Va. candidates

In the Courts
Fla. Supreme Court denies Rolling appeal
Tenn. inmate's execution stayed
Ohio execution of cult leader delayed
Judge orders Cheney visitor logs opened
Calif. candidate urged to exit race

Mother Nature
Greenland ice sheet shrinking fast: NASA

Oddities
Video: Teen Accused of Killing Own Twin Over Gum
Researchers Get 'Cloak of Invisibility' to Work
Naked Driver Kills Pedestrian in New York
Stingray Jumps Into Boat, Stabs Man
Offensive Urinals Rile Women in Austria
Panda Cub Bites Off American's Thumb in China
Survey Ranks Smarts of 50 States
Foot-in-Mouth Moments
Russia probes reports Spanish king shot drunk bear
Grumpy Kazakhs invite Borat to "his" land, at last
Texas inmate kills self, leaves message in blood
Sheridan shuns dog food, Gilbert is game

Other News of Note
FBI Finds Missing Ky. Baby Safein Illinois After Social Worker Slain
Acid Leak Prompts Evacuation of Kentucky Town
Cops: Girl of Dad Who Killed Neighbor Not Molested

Fox News
Cardinals Top Mets 3-1, to Win NL Championship
Judge Delays Ohio's Execution of Cult Leader
Study Suggests Link Between TV, Autism
Stocks to Watch: SanDisk, Google and 3M

Reuters: Top News
Molina blast sends Cardinals to World Series
EU leaders to woo Putin on energy, chide on rights - Video
Genocide survivors urge EU sanctions over Darfur - Video
Sony gives PlayStation 3 online service details
Microsoft says McAfee 'inaccurate, inflammatory'
U.S. Hispanics lag in curbing teen pregnancy
Greens eye comeback for American bison
Why does eating feel so good? It's all in the head
FDA warn about fake diabetes "cures"
NBC won't show Madonna on the cross
Robbie Williams moons fans at MTV Latam Awards
Caterpillar drops after results
Schering-Plough jumps
Stock futures rise on earnings; Google eyed
Oil steady as OPEC surprises with bigger cut - Video
Dollar sits near post-Philly Fed lows
Retailers toast online holiday cheer
Cross-border mergers hit record
Caterpillar profit rises on engine sales
3M posts higher quarterly profit
Merck profit falls after new Vioxx charge
Chrysler launches major cost-cutting initiative: report
OPEC surprises with deeper oil cut
ICBC raises a record $19 billion in IPO
VF Corp. reports higher profit, raises outlook
Schering-Plough 3rd-quarter profit climbs
China Mobile's Q3 climbs 24 pct, shores up lead
Fifty years on, revolution still divides Hungary - Video

AP World News
ICBC raises $19B in world's biggest IPO
OPEC cuts oil production by 1.2M barrels
Google's soaring profits boost stock
'Anatomy' star T.R. Knight says he's gay
Obituaries in the news
Cheese aficionados hit Vermont trail
Lowery roasted by civil rights comrades
Search called off after boat sinks
Ferrari crash suspect pleads no contest

Military.com
Military Propaganda Program Legal
Ex-Spouse Law/Retiree Cola

CENTCOM: News Releases
FOUR TERRORISTS CAPTURED, ONE KILLED DURING OPERATION AGAINST IED CELL

TERRORIST SUSPECTS APPREHENDED AFTER HABBANIYAH ATTACK

DETAINEE DIES AT CAMP BUCCA

4TH IRAQI ARMY DIVISION SEIZES CACHE, CAPTURES 13 INSURGENTS

4TH IRAQI ARMY DIVISION CELEBRATES NEW MULTI-USE COMPOUND

USJFCOM
Command's experiment bringing focus to urban challenges
Command leadership assists as Navy transforms officer training
USJFCOM exhibits Joint Force Projection ACTD- podcast
Top DoD readiness officials tour command

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Iraqi Government Fights Against Spikes in Insurgent Violence - Story - Video
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Paratroopers Ensure Secure Transportation - Story
Afghan Hospital Accepts Orthopedic Supplies - Story
Warriors Share Dinner, Conversation with Locals - Story
New York’s Finest Serve Global Mission - Story

IN IRAQ
Iraqi Medics, Coalition Docs Make House Calls
Marine Combat Engineers Repair Roadways
Firefighters: Duty First in Tough Neighborhoods

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 Marine Casualty - 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
1600 - The Battle of Sekigahara sets the Tokugawa clan as Japan's rulers.
1740 - Maria Theresa becomes ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.
1803 - The U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
1813 - The German Kingdom of Westphalia is abolished.
1817 - The first Mississippi showboat leaves Nashville on its maiden voyage.
1818 - The 49th parallel is established as the border between the U.S. and Canada; the U.S. and Britain agree to joint control of Oregon country.
1883 - In the Treaty of Ancon, Peru cedes Tarapaca to Chile.
1903 - The U.S. wins a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska and Canada.
1906 - Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrates his radio tube.
1910 - The cork-centered baseball makes its first appearance in World Series #7.
1930 - British White Paper restricts Jews from buying Arab land.
1942 - The "Durham Manifesto" calls for fundamental changes in race relations.
1944 - In Cleveland, thirty blocks burn after a liquid gas factory explodes; the U.S. First Army wins the battle of Aachen; General Douglas MacArthur and U.S. forces return to the Phillipines.
1947 - House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) opens hearings into alleged Communist influence in Hollywood.
1960 - The first fully mechanized post office opens in Providence, RI.
1963 - South Africa begins the trial of Nelson Mandela and eight others on conspiracy charges.
1964 - 150 are arrested at a riot at a Rolling Stones show in Paris.
1967 - An all white Federal jury convicts 7 in the murder of 3 civil rights workers in Meridan, MS.
1968 - Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis.
1973 - The OPEC oil embargo begins; in the "Saturday Night Massacre, Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox is dismissed by Solicitor General Bork; Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General Ruckleshaus resign.
1976 - 70 die when the Norwegian tanker Frosta collides with the George Prince.
1977 - Three members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a charter plane crash.
1979 - In Boston, the John F. Kennedy Library is dedicated.
1981 - Three members of the Weather Underground are arrested for their role in an armored truck robbery.
1983 - IBM-PC DOS Version 2.1 is released.
1987 - Ten die when an Air Force jet crashes into a Ramada Inn near Indianapolis; Subway gunman Bernhard (Bernie)Goetz is sentenced to six months in jail.
1988 - Britain suspects the right to remain silent in an IRA crackdown; in NYC, a man armed with explosives blows himself up in the 125th St. subway station.
1989 - The U.S. Senate impeaches U.S. District Judge Alcee L. Hastings.
1990 - Antiwar protest marches begin in twenty U.S. cities (Desert Storm).

Birthdays
1632 - Sir Christopher Wren, British astronomer / architect
1812 - Austin Flint 19th century heart research pioneer
1819 - Mirza Ali Mohammad ibn Rabhik (Bab-ed-Din), founder of Babism
1874 - Charles Edward Ives, composer (Holliday Quick Step)
1874 - Viscount Palmerston, British PM (1855-65)
1900 - Wayne Morse (Sen-OR)
1931 - Mickey Mantle, baseball great (NY Yankees - 1956 Triple Crown)
1932 - Roosevelt Brown, NFL hall of fame tackle (NY Giants); William Christopher, actor (Father Mulcahy-M*A*S*H)
1934 - Martin Landau, actor (Mission Impossible, Space 1999, Tucker)
1946 - Connie Chung, news anchor (NBC, CBS)

Passings
1906 - William "Buck" Ewing, hall of fame catcher (NY Giants)
1954 - Willie Shaw, race car driver (Indy 500-1937, 39, 40)
1964 - Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. President
1972 - Harlow Shapley discoverer of the Sun's position in the galaxy

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Edwards, Harry S., Jr., USN (GA); A4C shot down, remains returned September, 1996

Purrington, Frederick R., USN (MA); A4C shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive as of 1998

Wagener, David R., USAF (MI); A1E shot down, remains ID'd September, 1997

1967
Womack, Lonnie H., USN ; AWOL

1968
Bridges, Jerry G., US Army (TN); CH47A disappeared on resupply mission (flight engineer)

Deitsch, Charles E., US Army (FL); CH47A disappeared on resupply mission (aircraft commander)

Knight, Henry C., US Army (CA); CH47A disappeared on resupply mission (pilot)

Meldahl, Chrles H., US Army (WA); CH47A disappeared on resupply mission (crewchief)

Stanton, Ronald V., US Army (OH); CH 47A disappeared on resupply mission (door gunner)

1969
Stubbs, William W., US Army SF (WA); disappeared after patrol was attacked; likely KIA

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